Aftermath
by OffCenterFold
Summary: With the passage of time, can two people with apparently nothing more in common than their temperament overcome their differences?  Or have time and circumstance driven them farther apart than ever?  Some language; emotionally mature issues.
1. Chapter 1

**Aftermath**

_Part I: Moving Forward At Last_

_[AN] If you want the traditional happy ending, just read the first part as a oneshot. Things get deeper after that.. _

_I think my primary aversion to writing Sano and Megumi is that there's so much of it, and there are really only so many ways to tell the typical happy-ending story if you're going to stick to canon. (I played a little loosely with it in my story "Coming Home" which culminates in the quintessential "Sano shows up and declares his love after all this time, and Megumi grudgingly admits she's not totally averse/throws herself into his arms" sort of scenario. And of course, it is assumed that they get married and live happily ever after and have lots and lots of kids because well naturally Sano and Megumi would. And then I decided to explore their actual relationship... They're such different people, with such different goals and interests... Ultimately, COULD they work? [/AN]_

There was something in the air. She felt it as soon as she woke up; there was a sense of... ~Not foreboding, exactly, but I definitely feel that something is going to happen today. Maybe I should write to everyone in Tokyo and make sure they're all right.~ Megumi stretched and rose, wishing she had the luxury of taking her time, but there was the clinic to open and prepare for the day's influx of patients. She dashed off a short note to Kenshin and Kaoru, asking if everything was well and stating that she had felt compelled to check in with them as soon as possible, in addition to their regular communication. Once the letter was finished, she propped it up on the corner of her desk as a reminder to send it and resumed her normal routine. Wash, dress, open the clinic, make sure everything was as clean as possible and ready to face whatever the day brought.

The feeling did not fade, but as the day wore on and left the robe of morning behind, she began to feel fretful. It was a very slow day. The weather was clear and crisp, and the spring sun warmed the hearts of everyone she had spoken to. Aizu was still recovering, and would be a long time in doing so, but days like this always helped. Spring was always welcome, especially after such a harsh winter as the past two years had brought.

She stood in the door of the clinic, looking out into the street. Children ran and played, their spirits undimmed by the remaining evidence of the area's recent history. Adults went about their daily business with smiles that pushed away the shadows of the past. These were people who wanted nothing more than to move on to a better future.

So why couldn't she?

Everyone loved the "Beautiful Lady Doctor" as a doctor, especially coming as she did from the Takani bloodline with its reputation for an extensive medical repertoire and equal treatment regardless of a person's background. The entire community watched out for her, and even the poorest patient who could not afford to pay would find some way of compensating her, often with a service in kind. The clinic itself had been a run-down, barely functional little hovel when she'd arrived. With the political support she had been promised, and that which she won from the community, it was still small but no longer was it a place to shame the medical profession.

And it was true that she loved the community in return. But for all that the people as a whole loved her, the women had never made overtures of friendship, and the men... Well, even if she would have considered becoming involved with a patient, none of the men had ever given any indication of interest in her as a person, never mind as a woman.

It had been four years since she came to Aizu, and she still had not made any real friends such as she had made in just six months in Tokyo. Standing in the doorway that brisk spring day, watching the people in the street, a pang of loneliness gripped her, its toxic claws digging into her heart.

~I can't go back. It would be nice to stay with Genzaisensei, and I'm long past due for a visit, but I am needed here. How can I atone for the deaths that I've caused, if I run away from the people who need me most? How can I keep my promise to Kensan?~

At the thought of his name, she cringed. Sometimes the pain was still raw. ~I thought time was supposed to be a healer, too...~

"Oiy, Onnasensei, I don't stink that bad. I'll have you know I bathed just this morning."

That voice... The thrill that tickled her spine almost frightened her in its intensity. "Apparently," she said flippantly, "once a day isn't enough for you." Tossing her hair back over one shoulder, she turned an arched eyebrow towards a face that was at once achingly familiar and utterly alien.

~That damnably cocky grin... that hasn't changed,~ she noted. But everything else had. He seemed a bit taller, definitely broader - especially across the shoulders - and his hair, always unkempt and a bit long, was now a wild mass of brown spikes that trailed down his back. And over his head. He hadn't shaved in a while, and his face looked weathered. His jaw had filled out some, and he had hints of lines around his eyes that said whatever he'd been through had not been easy on him.

"Would you join me if I bathed again?" The grin widened, and Sagara Sanosuke struck a pose of insolent confidence.

She couldn't help the flush that rose to her cheeks, but she was proud and relieved that her voice remained steady. "Bathing wouldn't be enough. You need to be boiled."

"Ah, it ain't that bad. Here, take another whiff," Sano said as he moved towards her.

"Takanisensei, is this guy giving you trouble?" One of the local police officers approached. He was a man not yet in his middle years and built like an ox. Megumi knew him to be an absolute sweetheart as long as you were on his good side, but every ounce of him was muscle and no one wanted to be on his bad side.

Unfortunately, she was dealing with Sanosuke.

"No, Satomurasan, thank you."

"Oiy, Kitsune, you never told these people about the man you're gonna marry?" he grinned saucily.

"Marry?" Satomura echoed, looking to Megumi in surprise.

He was even more shocked when he saw her expression. Indignation, surprise, and the burgeoning desire to punch in Sanosuke's face warred for dominance. "Marry you!"

"Oiy, ya don't have to look so unhappy at the idea." Thoroughly disgruntled, the one-time gangster deflated utterly.

Satomura decided to beat a strategic retreat. He also decided not to say anything to anyone else about this. He didn't want the doctor mad at him.

"You have some nerve, Sagara Sanosuke!" She glared at him, and he could tell her anger was genuine. The day's nerves had been the kindling on a fire built up over more than four years of solitude, stress, and loneliness. "You disappear for years without so much as a word since, much less an honest goodbye! When Kensan needed you, needed us all, where were you? Gone! Who knew where? I never did believe you made it there from… where did you say? Shimosuwa? In a day? Even for an idiot as idiotic as you, that's not even a joke!"

Although her mention of Shimosuwa startled him, he simply muttered, "Shinsuu." Beyond that, his several attempts to get a word in edgewise all having failed miserably, Sano sunk into sullen silence at the end of her tirade. It was easier to let her rant than to explain that she had left first and he had indeed been there to say goodbye. He had written to them all; he had sent postcards! Was it his fault if she hadn't seen them? And when Kenshin had fallen apart and hidden himself away in Rakuninmura, Sano had felt that his absence hadn't made a bit of difference. And as for why he had fled the country, he had never told them the details because he hadn't wanted them to be caught up in his trouble. It had been his fight. And he had wanted to protect his family… Both families. But he knew that saying any of that would not help his case any.

For the first time since she'd met him, Sanosuke did not leap to his own defense. Instead, once stopped for more than a breath, he looked at her evenly.

"Megumi. Listen to me. I'm only gonna say this once: You're right."

She looked at him for a long moment. Neither one of them spoke.

"You heard right. I said it. But I'm not gonna say it again. I screwed up. A lot. I ain't gonna ask for forgiveness, either." He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets – even the gesture brought another twinge to her heart! – and turned away, starting back down the road. Every move he made brought an ache to her throat. The sheer familiarity of his presence, no matter how much he'd changed, was enough to drive home the depths of the loneliness she'd endured. With him gone, and Kenshin married to Kaoru, she'd had no one. She'd had no childhood friends who'd stayed in Aizu, although the truth was she hadn't had many to begin with. "'Bye."

The method of his departure struck a chord of memory. Rakuninmura. A redheaded rurouni so sunk in exhaustion and despair that he could not even react to the hard punch Sanosuke had delivered. And once again, this time he had hit hard – but this time he had used Megumi's own weapon: words.

And this time, there was a response. "W… Wait. Sanosuke." The words came out barely above a whisper. "Sano. Please don't leave."

He stopped, looking over one shoulder. In the old days, he would have made some flippant comment. In his travels, however, he'd learned enough about when to keep quiet. This was unquestionably one of those times.

There was a tenderness in his gaze that she did not acknowledge as he followed her inside.

Takani Megumi was never at a loss. Shock, yes, she could be shocked. But very little could shake her confidence or leave her floundering for words.

Except Sagara Sanosuke's sudden appearance on her doorstep several years after his equally sudden disappearance.

Of course, Sanosuke himself was no stranger to overconfidence, but in the face of Megumi's sudden, genuine anger, he hadn't known quite what to say or do to defuse the situation. ~I can't rightly say I didn't do anything to deserve it, either,~ he had to admit to himself. "Probably not the most romantic proposal, was it," he said after a long moment, trying to ease the tension.

She hadn't looked at him since he entered the clinic, but now she turned to him. "Sano…" He realized that the brightness of her eyes was brought on by the tears she was desperately trying to keep from spilling over. "Sano… I'm sorry."

Wordlessly he opened his arms to her and she hesitated only a moment. The clinic was empty. Even if anyone were to witness such brazen behavior, surely it could be chalked up to an emotional reunion... In two steps she was wrapped in his strong embrace, her fists curled over her mouth as she cried into his shoulder. Like her laugh – her real laugh, the unaffected laugh they rarely witnessed, her tears were largely silent in spite of the strength of her sobs. He was afraid to move or speak, and long moments passed as he held her.

"Sensei?" Someone called from the doorway; Megumi had led him into one of the small examination rooms. They could not be seen.

She straightened up, started to leave the room.

"You're in no shape to see a patient just now," he said. "You _look _like you've been crying."

Megumi looked at Sanosuke for a long moment, loath to admit that he was right. Her shoulders slumped as the voice called out again.

"I am sorry. Please come back later unless it's an emergency."

"No, sensei, I just wanted to ask for more of the stomach medicine. Can I come back later?"

She recognized the voice, now. "Of course, Kaedechan. Come back after dinner and I'll have it ready for you."

"Thank you, sensei!" the girl called out, and Sano heard her leave.

He studied the woman before him for a long time. She looked slightly faded. Her beauty had not diminished, but she looked tired and worn compared to the woman he remembered. She was not wearing any makeup, but in his eyes that only enhanced the natural paleness of her skin, the depth of her eyes, and the delicacy of her lips. He noticed she looked thinner; still voluptuous under all the layers, but she had not led a prosperous life since coming north.

~If this is the Kitsune now, maybe waiting was the right thing,~ he thought. ~We never would've made it work the way we each were before I left.~

"So does this mean you're glad to see me?" he finally said, with a lopsided grin that was not cocky this time but rueful.

"You must think me sillier than the country girl," she said, turning away from him. "Bawling like a little child at the slightest provocation."

"Not so slight. Four years of being alone is five too many."

"Sometimes I feel as if the whole world has moved on around me, and I am standing still."

"Funny you should say that," he leaned back against the wall, shoving his hands back in his pockets. "Sometimes I feel as though the world is standing still, and I'm running backwards."

"Let's start over?"

"Heh." He turned and left.

"Where are you –" she started to follow him out of the clinic, but he had turned around and was knocking on the doorframe just as Kaede had moments before.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a doctor by the name of Takani Megumi?"

She blinked at him, taken aback, but the sparkle in his eye caught her up and she decided to play along.

"I am Takani Megumi. May I help you?"

"My name is Sagara Sanosuke. I need to be examined. I think I have a sickness."

"Come inside and tell me your symptoms," she said, having an even harder time than he was at keeping a straight face.

"I have no appetite. My mouth is dry, and my heart is racing. I can't sleep, but when I do, my dreams are all about the same thing."

"I see. And how long ago did your symptoms start?"

"I'd have to say about four years ago."

Neither one of them was even attempting to hide their smiles: they had faded.

"That's a very long time to experience such symptoms. Have you never consulted a medical professional about this before?"

"I did. But she told me she can't cure lovesickness." He shook his head, long brown locks twitching in all directions. "Dammit, Kitsune, I don't know. I know it's stupid but I think I fell in love with you in that observation tower. You looked so lost, so vulnerable. I'd never seen you that way before or since… until now. "

"I thought you said we were starting over."

"Heh." He shrugged, that odd little half-smile of embarrassment more full of apology than his words. "I lied."

"Do… Do Kensan and Kaoruchan know you've come back?"

"Yeah. I stopped by for a few days there before coming here. Told them not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you… but I didn't expect it'd go over so well.

"I've spent the last four years traveling the globe, wondering if the police would still be after me when I returned. As it turns out, Kenshin told me they'd decided to forget about it when certain activities of the guy's came out. So it looks like I'm off the hook," he grinned. "But even more than that, there was another hook I didn't wanna be off." The smile faded. "I wondered what happened while I was away. What you were doing. Not a day went by when I wasn't thinkin' about the Kitsune who cast her fox magic over me. I coulda had a girl in every port, but I didn't want any of 'em. None of 'em were you.

"So here I am. I'm not the same lazy bum I was. I even paid off my tab at the Akabeko."

"Really. Now I know you're an impostor," she said archly.

"Heh. I deserved that… I was real irresponsible back then, no question. And yeah, I still like the dice and the cups, but I know my limits these days. I went to Tokyo first because I planned to stay here in Aizu… if you'll have me here."

"Have you any medical training?" she asked abruptly.

"Medical… I guess I learned a few things on the road," he said uncertainly.

"I could use an assistant."

"An assistant?"

"Someone to do the heavy lifting, follow directions, help keep the place clean… An assistant. It doesn't pay well." Megumi looked slightly embarrassed. "I may be mercenary in my approach with those who can afford it, or should be able to afford it when they're not gambling all their money away," she added pointedly, "but these people need my help, and they have so little themselves…"

Sanosuke grunted softly by way of acknowledgment. Megumi's pride was a tender thing; after making such headway, he was hardly going to risk saying something that would throw off the delicate balance they seemed to have achieved.

"You'll need to find somewhere to stay."

"You mean you won't pay me, and you won't put me up?" The grin rolled back into place on his rugged features.

Indignation sparked in her eyes. "Just a moment ago you were so proud not to be the same lazy bum I remembered."

"Just sayin', is all."

"Well, it would hardly be appropriate for us to stay alone."

"Unless you marry me."

"You understand that by moving under my roof, and accepting a life with me, you would need to assume my family name as well?" Knowing what pride he took in the name "Sagara" which he'd adapted in honor and memory of the captain of the Sekihoutai, to which he'd dedicated his heart from childhood, she didn't think it likely he would choose to become...

He hadn't thought much about it, but it was true: if they were to be married in the traditional way, without incorporating any of the weird Western notions that were only barely beginning to make their way into the heads of Japanese youths, he would have to abandon his captain's name and become…

"Takani Sanosuke." They said it together.

They stared at each other, and she tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Sounds goofy. Don't do it," she said archly, but she was smiling as she spoke.

He grinned back, but inside, his mind whirled. ~No reason not to tell her...~ "I've heard those exact words before. From Sagara-taichou."

Her eyes widened, and he nodded. "I was born a farmer's son. I later learned that he took a family name too - Higashidani."

"Higashidani Sanosuke?" Megumi said. "The names get stranger."

At that, he smirked. Just a little. "Yeah, the family's pretty strange to start with. Maybe you'll meet 'em one day." The smirk faded into something shaded with regret. "But when I asked Sagara-taichou if I could take the name 'Sagara' for my own, he said exactly the same thing you did. '_Sagara Sanosuke? Sounds goofy. Don't do it.'"_

Even now the words echoed in his memory; as he spoke them aloud, he heard his captain's voice.

"It seems we've a lot to learn about one another," Megumi said slowly. "Such as the fact that there's more to each of us than our banter ever showed."

"Yeah," he said as slowly. "Ya know, if I'm to be your assistant, you didn't say anything about not feedin' me." The grin was back.

"Mooch," she glowered at him.

"Fox," he taunted back.

"Sponge."

"Snob."

"Bum."

~Damn, I missed you, woman.~ The grin spread. "What's for dinner?"

"Baka." She started for the kitchen. ~I never imagined how much I'd missed you.~ She wasn't about to let him see her smiling back at him.

_[AN] For those who may not remember, Shimosuwa was the area in which Sano was when the Sekihoutai were slain, and also the place where he trained years later with Anji. Whether or not Megumi knew this or not is open to debate. It's probable; she may have gotten the names confused in the heat of anger or used the wrong place name deliberately in order to further disconcert him. [/AN]_


	2. Chapter 2

**Aftermath**

_Part II: Fear and Anger_

Megumi awoke, feeling more relaxed than she had in a while. As she opened her eyes, she remembered why.

~Sano.~ He had shown up on her doorstep after four years of self-imposed exile with a proposal – and she had not turned him down. She hadn't accepted yet, either, but offering him a position as her assistant would give them time to learn one another's ways. They had only known each other for a few brief months, after all, and that had been four years ago. "Takani Sanosuke," she said, and almost giggled at the thought. Almost. A woman as dignified as she did not giggle.

Still, he was a familiar face – and a friend she trusted. Whether he would prove to be as steadfast as she could never admit she hoped had yet to be seen. It was one thing to banter as they had years before. It was another when each other was all they had.

She hadn't exaggerated the case when she'd told him she couldn't pay. As she went about her morning preparations, she mentally reviewed her situation and sighed.

~I know they try their best, but I can barely afford the medicines I can't find in the wild, much less any but the most basic of food and supplies. And that's barely sufficient for myself. The honest truth,~ she had to admit to herself, ~is that I simply can't afford to support two people.~ With a rueful sigh, her mind added, ~This must be what it was like for Kaoruchan when we all first met.~

She kept two kimono packed away for her visits to Tokyo, rare as those were, and for formal occasions. She only had two for the rest of the time, plus one yukata for the hottest days of summer and one for sleep. Hardly the fashion plate she had once imagined she would be, as a little girl prancing about in her mother's geta and hair ornaments. Sighing, she took the less worn of the two and dressed quickly.

~It would be wonderful if Sano had come into money while he was away.~ Angrily, she chased the unbidden thought from her mind. She would not accept his charity, she did not accept charity from anyone!

~Except it wouldn't be charity if you married him,~ the thought retorted.

~I may have mercenary moments but I will not sell my body for money! That's what it would amount to,~ she argued back.

The thought occurred that she had indeed spent too much time alone.

She was startled when she opened the clinic door to see Sanosuke standing there, one hand raised to knock. They each took a step back, then laughed, an awkward little sound.

"I came to work," he said simply.

"You found lodgings then?"

"Yeah. An old couple. They said I remind them of their grandson, and in exchange for odd jobs around the house, they said they'd put me up as long as I needed." He didn't tell her that he had told them he didn't plan to impose for long as he intended to marry the doctor. They had been skeptical but ecstatic.

He didn't understand why she hadn't found someone in the intervening years. The couple had gladly told him everything they knew about the beautiful doctor since she had arrived four years earlier. They had explained to him how so many people appreciated the woman's medical skills but even with her family name and history, even with the new era and the changing perspective on women's abilities, not many men wanted a wife who dedicated so much time and effort to other people. A woman like Megumi was intimidating enough to a young man, the old one explained, even when she wasn't so strong. And Megumi was unquestionably strong: strong-willed, strong-minded, strong-worded... Takani Megumi was not the docile wifely sort of woman with whom most men fancied themselves.

"Most men are idiots," Sano had replied. The couple had agreed, not without amusement. But he was definitely not going to tell her about that conversation...

"Well, come inside then. Get the fire going, and put up some water to boil. Every day is busy around here, and the sooner everything is ready, the less time people will have to wait for treatment."

He nodded. She had shown him around the small place after their small meal, so he headed for the kitchen and got the fire going. He filled the two large pots and put them up to boil.

As he returned to the main building, he heard voices. The first patients had arrived, it seemed.

"This is an old friend, who is my new assistant," Megumi introduced him. "His name is Sagara Sanosuke."

"Nice to meet you, Sagarasan," the young woman nodded. She eyed him shrewdly; Megumi did not fail to notice, but gave no outward sign.

"The honor is mine," he replied, smiling blandly.

"You're not from around here," the woman observed.

"No," he replied politely, in a tone that invited no further conversation.

"Ogawa Keiko is the daughter of one of the men who helped me set up the clinic," Megumi told Sanosuke. "She's here today because she gets bad headaches. Do you remember I showed you where the prepared medicines are?"

Sano nodded.

"Bring me the packet marked with her name, please."

He stepped out of the room, and was barely across the threshold when he heard the patient ask the doctor, "He's not married, is he?"

"Not yet," Megumi replied. Sano hesitated outside the door. ~This is gonna be interesting,~ he grinned to himself.

"Not yet? What does that mean? Are you going to marry him?"

"You know perfectly well why I've never married anyone, Ogawasan."

Sano flinched. She had _that_ tone in her voice. He felt bad for this woman he'd barely met... Didn't she know better?

"He's positively dishy. Even someone as... particular as you has to have noticed it," the woman replied.

"And someone as... persistent as you ought to know that there's more to a person than his looks."

~Yeah, it's definitely _that_ tone,~ Sano thought as he made a hasty beeline for the medicine box where Megumi had told him she kept the prepared prescriptions for specific patients. Looking at the tiny labels on each of the small drawers, he finally found the one he was looking for. Whatever Ogawa Keiko's story was, he wanted no part of it, though he did feel a pang of sympathy. She ought to know better than to cross the doctor's path. Still, he remembered something that the old woman had said the night before, about how Megumi really didn't have anyone with whom she was close in Aizu. She tended to keep people at arm's length, he knew, but he didn't understand why the women didn't seem to even make any attempts to befriend her any more than the men did. Thoughts that never would have occurred to him before were suddenly presenting themselves as facts.

Megumi was more than just lonely, up here in the north: she was completely alone.

"Here it is," he said, pretending oblivion. "This the right one?"

Megumi checked the small packet, labeled clearly with the patient's name. "Yes. Ogawasan, don't forget to take the absolute minimum when you need it, and wait at least four hours before taking any more. If there are any other problems, please come see me immediately," Megumi said calmly, as though the earlier exchange between the two women had not taken place.

The woman smiled, nodded to Sano, and bid them goodbye. Her expression was speculative as she left.

"Well she seems nice," Sano said dryly.

"She is, if a bit pushy about other people's personal business," Megumi said darkly. "Sometimes I cannot believe the sheer nerve of some of the women here. How is it that I am a doctor and yet they feel they can treat me like something one walks on?"

"You've never given anyone the impression that they could walk all over you, for as long as I've known you."

She looked at him sharply, but her tone was soft. "But then, how well do you really know me?"

"Do you want a real answer?"

"It would be a good place to start."

Uncertain how to interpret that, Sano decided to ignore it and took a deep breath. "I know you're beautiful, intelligent, and independent. That scares 'em, cuz they see you as better than they are. Even if it's true, nobody likes to feel inferior to anyone. Look at Kenshin. It's impossible to feel superior to him. And look how many people hated him for it, or at least begrudge him that much."

"But Kensan is different," she said. "Kensan is so gentle and kind, even to his enemies. He's much more constrained than I am."

"If you mean he knows when to shut up, yeah, he does," Sano smirked.

"Unlike some people," she glowered.

"Are you sayin' I don't know when to shut up?"

She merely cocked an eyebrow, and he thought about it for a moment. "Heh. Okay, ya got me there." Holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, he continued, "Okay, so forget Kenshin." He did not miss her expression.

~Damn it, woman. Four years, and it's time you did forget him. He ain't perfect. No man is perfect. He was an idiot to let a woman like you go, but his loss... And you should know that. This should wait... But no. It's been too long already. If she hates me for it... I'll deal with it later.~ "He's happy as he is. You may not think Jouchan's a good choice for him but they're makin' it work. They have a kid, a life. It's time you got over him."

Every word he spoke drove a spike through her heart. She knew what he said was true, knew it as well as if it were engraved on her very heart, but it hurt no less to hear it said aloud. She turned away and he grabbed her wrist.

She cried out in pain. "You're hurting me!" She tried to pull away, and he loosened his grip. Still, he held her fast.

"Truth hurts. And I see it in your eyes that you've been telling yourself the same thing every day for four years. But I've been here half a day and I've had enough. Do you think that he doesn't know? Do you think it doesn't hurt him to know how much pain you're in because of him? But he can no more love you than I could stop, just like he couldn't stop loving Jouchan. I learned a lot in the time I was away from Tokyo. Didn't you?"

The look in her eyes tore at him. ~Like a fox in a trap; she'd chew her own damn leg off just to get away.~

And then the look shifted. He'd held on a shade too long and she was reacting; the pain and fear turning into anger. Anger directed at him. "Let go of me!" she hissed, wrenching her hand free of his. "You don't know a thing about it, Sagara Sanosuke. You don't know what the last three and a half years have been. While you were off seeing the world, making friends and doubtless breaking hearts - but no. You don't care about what I've been through. You only want a warm body in your bed, a hot meal on your table, and money in your pocket to gamble away. I don't know what you expected to find here, but I can give you none of those things. Go back to Tokyo, or to your Higashidani family. I don't need you. I don't need anyone! I've been fine on my own so far!"

He regarded her coolly through her rant, but unlike the day before, this time he had a response.

"You remind me of someone I once knew. Someone scared and lonely and angry and bitter, who believed that he was the only person in the world he could count on. Wanna guess who that was, Kitsune?"

Her glare grew darker; she fairly radiated hostility.

"It was a kid named Zanza. A fighter for hire. Didn't think much of anything, just lived for the moment, looking for the next fight, the night drink, the next meal. No friends, nothin' to his name except a big fucking sword. No name. And then he met a guy who set him straight. Accepted him for who he was, showed him where he was walkin' the wrong way. Showed him what it meant to have friends. I've grown up a hell of a lot since then, Megumi. So what happened to you to make you grow back down?"

The role reversal was painful. ~This is Kenshin's sort of thing. How could they not have seen this happening on her visits? Of course, she must've been hiding it all this time. Hiding everything every time she saw them. I'm no good at this. I still think with my fists first. How'm I supposed to handle this? I don't have the words!~

"Get out of my clinic." The words were ice hissing out of the fire in her eyes.

He leaned back, folding his arms across his bare chest. "I ain't goin' anywhere. You've got some calmin' down to do before your next patient shows up," he said reasonably, "and I'll be damned if I'm gonna leave you alone when you're like this. You're as likely to hurt a patient as yourself," he added bluntly.

Megumi couldn't think straight. Somewhere, deep inside her heart, she knew he was right, but she was so angry... ~Anger is fear in disguise,~ the little voice within said. ~You're not alone. You can face the fears now. He'll help.~

She wanted to listen to the voice, to Sanosuke, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her voice thick and strangled, she advanced on him, her fingers numbly picking up a scalpel. "Get out."

~Shit. She'd use it, but on me or herself? If I knew it was me, I wouldn't care.~ "I ain't goin' anywhere," he said aloud, the years falling away from his speech, his old growl more pronounced.

Her fingers were white around the scalpel's handle. She raised her hand, looking at it as though surprised to see what she held. A glimmer of uncertainty pierced the cloud of rage and he seized the opportunity to grab her wrists once again. He pulled her closer so as to hold both wrists in one hand so he could take the scalpel away, but before he could even let go, she dropped it from fingers gone suddenly weak.

"No," she glared at him, fear piercing the anger again.

"No?" And, looking at her, he realized what had happened to make her so angry, so afraid. And the rage rose up in him as well.

"No," she whispered. He felt her tensing, beginning to fight him, and he let her go. His hands held up to show that he intended no threat, he stepped back from the trembling woman.

"No," he said softly, agreeing. ~Shit. Of course Kenshin doesn't know or he'd've been up here himself in no time, leaving the guy less of a man that that scythe freak of Chou's. She must never have told anyone... How long has she been livin' with this?~

"No," she whimpered again, still backing away.

"Megumi. Kitsune. It's me. Sano. You're safe now," he said, speaking in a soft tone as though she were a wild creature. He did not move, instead watching her as she started to come back to herself from the dark place she had just been. Waiting until the wounded animal look left her eyes took some time, and he was inordinately grateful that no patients came by in the interim. He kept on murmuring until he recognized the person looking back at him again, cursing inwardly the entire time. Frustration at the thwarted urge to dole out justice, Zanza-style, was overridden only by his immediate concern for her. He could find out who'd hurt his Fox later. For now there was only one thing that mattered: helping her heal. The damage that had been done was too deeply set into her mind. He was afraid he was going to need help. Unfortunately, the only person to whom he could turn was Kenshin, and that was going to be problematic. The distance was the least of it.

~I'll deal with that later.~ "Oiy, Kitsune," he said, still keeping his voice soft. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder, her eyes closing in a superior affectation that would have made him smile had he not known what she was hiding.

"Whatever happened to make you react like that. That ain't the Kitsune I know." He shoved his hands back into his pockets, and the familiarity of the gesture comforted them both. He watched a little of the tension ease from her shoulders. "She would've smacked first and asked questions later," he smirked.

She didn't say anything. ~Shit shit shit. It's worse than I thought. All her humor, all her spark… Everything that attracted me to her in the beginning is all buried so deep inside the pain. I don't know if I can reach her. I'm not cut out for this! Not that there's a choice. I'm all she's got.~

"Megumi."

She looked at him in silence. Shame and anger and fear lingered behind her eyes.

"It wasn't your fault."

Now she registered surprise.

"Whatever happened to you," ~like I can't tell,~ "wasn't because of something you did. There was nothing you could have done to stop it from happening. It happened, and it's over. Now, you wanna tell me where I can find 'em so I can smear 'em all over the walls?" He grinned, but she knew that he wasn't kidding.

"Solve violence with more violence, is that it?" She was still on the defensive.

He shrugged. "You know me. I ain't much good at the talking side of things. Always left that to Kenshin. On my own, I usually end up knockin' 'em out first and askin' questions later. But if you ain't ready to talk, well, I ain't goin' anywhere. No matter how much you yell at me."

"Sano, I…" She sighed. Again, it bothered him that this was not the woman he'd known. "I'm sorry."

The Sano of old would have evinced shock at her apology, but that was half an hour ago. This new Megumi, at once guarded and vulnerable, was not the woman he remembered. He wondered if she was still in there somewhere.

~She has to be. And I'm going to find her and bring her back.~

_[AN] Please reserve judgment. This was not what I originally planned; it's a lot more intense than I thought it would be. As a survivor myself, I can say that sometimes you can't begin to heal until you've faced it head on. However, this IS a Sanosuke and Megumi story, so there will be plenty of banter and sarcasm as well. [/AN]_


	3. Chapter 3

**Aftermath**

_Part III: Something to Talk About_

Megumi was grateful to any listening spirits, gods, or other powers that no one had come in during "that little interlude". Shortly after she'd cleaned herself up – ~And for the second time in as many days! Perhaps he's not so good to be around after all!~ – the day had gotten as busy as she had expected it would. She would never admit it, but having him around made running the clinic much easier. Having someone reliable around to help, especially with the menial and heavy duty chores, enabled her to focus more on the medical attention she provided to her patients, and they noticed the difference immediately.

It didn't hurt that the mere presence of the rugged man also tended to discourage the rougher element. While she was accustomed to flirting and the occasional remark, there were always some who thought they could get away with a bit more. Having a tall, brawny man who looked like he'd been living in the wild for a few years looming over them seemed to keep those rowdier men at bay. She did not miss their attentions.

"Takanisensei, I've brought your lunch!" A young voice rang out, followed a moment later by its owner, a young boy with a parcel. He looked up at Sanosuke – and up, and up – and his lower lip trembled. He was maybe five years old, if that, and hadn't expected to see such a scary-looking stranger.

"Hello, Tomochan. This is my friend Sanosuke. He's going to be working here as my assistant for a while." Megumi knelt down and took the package from the boy's arms. "Thank you for our lunch! How is your sister feeling today?"

"She's okay. Dad said we can get a puppy when she's better!" Distracted from the scary-looking figure, the hope in his eyes brought a lump to Megumi's throat.

"That's wonderful," she said.

"I hope she gets better fast," the boy said, a bit wistfully.

"Me too, Tomochan," Megumi said. She smiled brightly. "Better get back. Please tell your mother I said thank you for the lunch."

"Okay! Bye!" With the pliancy of youth, he smiled brightly and took off running again.

Megumi straightened. "Tomochan is the son of the innkeeper. His elder sister has been ill for some time. It's a disease of the blood, and I honestly don't know if she'll get better." Now she let the sorrow show. "I do everything I can for her, but it's very likely that all I'll be able to do before much longer is keep her comfortable. Some of the medicine is very expensive, and they can't really afford it, but they always make sure I have something to eat for lunch."

Sanosuke nodded. Then he grinned. "Hey, there enough for both of us?"

"You eat, Sano. I don't want to hear you whining that you're hungry," she said with a toss of her head.

"You're the boss." Shrugging, he opened the parcel. "So you eat first."

"I'm not hungry," she said.

"You're full of crap. Even I can see you've lost weight, and you never had much to spare." ~Just enough in all the right places…~ He kicked the thought in the stomach and sighed. "Listen, Kitsune. I ain't a charity case. I can kick in somethin'. I ain't rich, but I ain't broke either, anymore."

"I don't need charity," she said coldly.

"I ain't offerin' charity. I'm offerin' to take on my share of costs."

Now she stared at him, trying to figure him out. "You have changed," she said at last.

"'Bout time ya noticed," he said gruffly. "Now, are we eatin' or what?"

"Not that much, after all," she said, unimpressed. Still, she took a rice ball from the box Tomo had brought. Sano took another and they ate in silence.

He loved to watch her; she was everything that a lady was supposed to be, but she had spunk and she kept him hopping, and he knew he wanted nothing more than to stay with her forever. Still, he knew that before he could convince her of that, there were other things that had to be dealt with.

The small bento vanished quickly; he was careful to make sure she ate more of it than he did – and it was a sign of her distress that she didn't notice. It wasn't quite enough; both of them together were barely satisfied. Megumi hadn't told him that she usually stretched the lunch box to suffice for her dinner as well. She rarely had time to make a proper meal for herself, and a good percentage of her personal funds went for medical supplies.

She had tried over the months to use the thought as a comfort. ~Imagine what Kensan went through,~ she would tell herself, ~living without a home for ten years, hand to mouth, living for nothing but the endless quest to expiate his guilt… How much better do I have it, with clothes on my back and a roof over my head, food on my table… I deserve less than he had, but what use is a healer who hasn't the means to heal?~

She studied Sano surreptitiously as they ate. It was hard to pretend she didn't see him watching her avidly, difficult to ignore his obvious concern. Her pride would not allow her to admit how desperately she needed him, needed his friendship. ~Now that he knows something happened, he's not going to let it rest until he fixes it. That's why they're such good friends. Neither one of them knows how to keep his mind on his own business.~ She wondered at how much he had changed in other ways, however. Beyond the obvious physical maturity, ~and the fact that his musculature is firmer and more developed by far even than it was; he's still so lean, but built like a wildcat…~

She shook herself mentally; such thoughts were hardly seemly! Besides, she didn't deserve... Again, she stopped the thought. She could hardly afford to go into that spiral with him around! He might not be the sharpest wit around, but he was extremely perceptive and would certainly notice her distress.

Megumi wondered when she'd become so transparent. Or was it that he had gotten much sharper, traveling the world?

She wished he hadn't crossed that line. ~Not that he'd have any way of knowing, of course,~ she reminded herself, still aware of his focus on her. It was flattering, but also disconcerting. He had fallen in love with a woman who essentially no longer existed. She had only begun to heal from the years of abuse under Kanryuu when she had come to Aizu, alone, and believing once again in the kindness of human nature when her still-fragile illusions had been shattered. It was hard to reconcile the trust and friendship of the young man she remembered with this familiar stranger.

~That… was an exception. NOT the rule.~ It was a mantra that held little meaning. ~But there are so many exceptions…~

Megumi thought she had recovered from the incident, but Sanosuke's inadvertent action had broken open the shoji-thin barrier she'd erected against it in her mind. The memories had flooded back and her hindbrain had taken over. Suddenly there was no friend but merely a man, and he was not trying to take away the scalpel because he was afraid she might hurt herself, he was only out to control her. Her mind had started to shut down, fear born of memory preparing her for fight or flight.

And he had seen it, recognized it for what it was, and there was no reasonable way to discuss it. She was a woman, he was a man. The subject simply did not come up. And everyone knew it was always the woman's fault, anyway.

Except, apparently, for Sagara Sanosuke. Some part of her had registered his expression when the realization had hit him, and that expression spelled intense amounts of suffering for the responsible party, should he ever encounter them.

But no. She could rebuild the wall. It didn't matter how thin it was, as long as it was there. She didn't need to face it. She could go on as she had and pretend it never happened.

She had lied to Ogawa Keiko; the woman believed that the only reason she did not marry was born of impatience with men. She hadn't yet met the one who could be a true partner. While that was partially true, the root of the problem was fear. She could not allow a man to get close; all they ever did was hurt her.

There had been few exceptions in her life, some of which were surprising.

"Have you visited Kyoto since your return?" she asked suddenly.

Sano blinked. "Briefly. On the way here from Tokyo."

"On the way? It's the opposite direction."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I always get where I'm goin'. Just maybe sometimes it takes a little longer than for other people," he admitted grudgingly.

"How is everyone there?"

He nodded and grinned. "Aoshi actually speaks now. Not much, but he has conversations about real things when a fight isn't involved. The weasel-girl's been a good influence on him."

That won him a smile. "Misaochan could wear anyone down with all that exuberance…"

Sano nodded. "Okon and Omasu are doing well. Kuro's married now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Tiny little thing, smaller than Misao if you can believe that! You should see them together, he's so big next to her, he could practically carry her on the palm of his hand!" He snickered and Megumi's smile widened at the image. "But she's very quick. If she wasn't Oniwabanshuu before, she will be before long."

"Has anyone heard from that obnoxious man?"

Sano chuckled again at that. "You never liked Hikosan at all, did you," he grinned. "Yeah, the old man's doin' good. Still looks like he barely hit thirty. One of these days I gotta learn what it is about Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu that keeps 'em lookin' so damn young," he mused.

Megumi turned to him and studied him intently. He was about to make a lewd comment, then saw the professional glint in her eye. Curiosity won out. "What's wrong?"

"Hm?"

"You're givin' me the Doctor Eye," he said, a trifle nervous.

"I think your body could handle it. Certainly better than Kensan's," she said slowly. "You've got the strength, certainly, and with your resilience, you could recover better. You have greater muscle mass, also, which would serve well since you're not bulky. I think you should do it."

"You're kiddin', right? I'm no swordsman. My Zanbatou was it for me. After that was broken a second time, I decided I was never gonna pick up a sword again. Why, when I've got these?" He flexed his hands demonstratively.

"How is your hand, anyway?" she asked.

"Feels good. Wanna check it out, for old times' sake?" He held his hands out to her as if in offering.

She glanced towards the clinic's main door. "I'm a little surprised the afternoon rush hasn't begun."

Neither one of them could possibly know that between little Tomo and Ogawa Keiko, the word had spread that the pretty doctor had A MAN working with her! A man who'd just shown up magically, for all they knew! Those who heard from the little boy understood the man was a giant monster; those who heard from Ogawa Keiko learned that he was "drop dead gorgeous". The rumors had collided somewhere in the middle and in the eye of the locals, there was a frighteningly beautiful beast-man now working at the clinic. The gossip was more intriguing than discovering the truth might have been, and so the usual petty complaints were on hold while tongues wagged.

"Well, while we wait," he suggested.

"For old times' sake," she said with an amused shake of her head. He pulled over a stool for each of them and she sat, palpating his palm, pressing and flexing his fingers, comparing each of his hands side by side.

"You've been using that stupid technique of yours," she said flatly. "With both hands."

He grinned proudly. "Yeah. I can do it now the way Anji used to, with my feet, hands, and elbows. Even with my head."

"At least you're getting SOME use out of that," she sniped.

Not really offended, he growled. "Just shows what you know, woman. I ain't as think as you dumb I am!"

She started to say something else automatically, but then looked up at him, taken aback by the retort. Smirking, he folded his hands over hers and opened his mouth to speak.

Neither of them had heard the young man approach. "Sensei, could you –"

All three of them froze: Sanosuke and Megumi, their hands joined, and the sixteen year old youth who had come to ask for some medicine for a sore throat and had no idea what to make of the situation. He blushed, embarrassed, then realized that there was a complete stranger with his hands on the woman doctor, who looked as though she had been taken by surprise!

"You let go of Takanisensei!" he screamed, charging in blindly, fists flailing.

Sano stood, planted a hand on the short youth's forehead as he flailed away, and sighed. "You're kidding, right?"

Megumi simply buried her face in her hands, silently debating whether she wanted to laugh or cry. It was a difficult decision, at that moment.

The kid had now started to circle around, trying to get at Sano, who hadn't moved his hand and was now beginning to look embarrassed himself.

"Satoshikun, it's all right," Megumi sighed into her palms. "This is my new assistant, and an old friend. His name is Sagara Sanosuke, and I was examining his hand. He uses his fists far more than his head."

"I used to, anyway," Sano said, shaking his head. "Satoshi, was that it?"

The youth stopped flailing and looked out at Megumi from behind Sano's palm. "You're really okay?"

~Oh, Satoshikun, where were you three and a half years ago?~ her heart cried. But she smiled and nodded, lifting her face. "I'm fine, truly. Your concern is very kind, Satoshikun, but Sano is mostly harmless. At least I'm certain he wouldn't hurt me… Or he would have another friend of ours to answer to."

At that, the youth blushed again and backed away, bowing deeply to a still bemused Sano.

He was in no position to enlighten them about the rumors, not having heard them himself; when he did, he was certain to weigh in on the side of the dangerous beast-man – but he was to add the fact that the beautiful doctor had tamed the wild creature and had him under her spell, responding to her commands.

Sanosuke and Megumi remained oblivious to the wild speculation that raced through the area. Shortly after Satoshi left, three sisters who were Megumi's regular patients arrived at the clinic, whispering and giggling a bit frantically amongst themselves. As it happened when they arrived, Sano was out in back getting wood to add to the stove.

Normally, Hanako and the twins Ayame and Yuri were well-mannered girls. Hanako, at fifteen, tried very hard to be a grown-up example to her thirteen year old sisters. Now, however, those sisters were practically pushing her in front of them as they entered the building.

"Konnichiwa, Takanisensei!" they chorused and burst into giggles again.

"Good afternoon to you too, girls," Megumi answered with a puzzled glance over her smile. "Here for your checkups?"

The twins nodded and Hanako blushed. "Yes, sensei," she said. All three were looking around frantically.

Megumi folded her arms across her chest. "What are you girls giggling about?"

"We, umm, we heard…" Hanako blushed and stammered to a stop.

"We heard that there was someone working here! A man!" Yuri exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"He's supposed to be beautiful and frightening!" her sister Ayame added conspiratorially.

At that, Megumi burst into laughter. "Him? Frightening? Not hardly! And beautiful? Ohohohohh!"

"Oiy! What do you mean? I got the most beautiful face outside of Tokyo!" Affecting insult. Sano sauntered in with several split logs over his shoulder. "Certainly more than this vixen, ne, girls?" he flashed a grin that was clearly for their benefit. The girls had fallen silent as they stared up at him in awe.

"Oh, my!" Ayame squeaked.

"It's true!" Yuri breathed.

Hanako simply stood there blushing furiously.

Megumi was shaking her head at all four of them. "Who do you think you're kidding, tori-atama? A chickenhead like you could hardly qualify as beautiful. Frightening I'd buy, if you meant it in the sense of how dense you are!"

"Oiy, Kitsune! You couldn't scare off a pigeon!"

"I know. I've been trying," she retorted.

Sano's mouth opened, then closed. Disgruntled, he blinked, took the wood, and left the room.

Megumi tossed her hair over one shoulder and turned to the girls. "So what is this you were saying?"

The twins took turns talking. "Yamagawasan was talking to our mother over the hedge between our yards and she was saying that she'd heard you had a man here to work and that he was 'totally dishy'."

"But then Takemorisan, who was passing by, said that he'd heard that the man was big and scary. And then mom reminded us that we had our checkups today."

"And Hanako didn't want to come because she only heard Takemorisan but we told her what Yamagawasan said."

"And THEN she wanted to come because she wanted to see for herself, except then when we got here she got all scared again!"

"Stop it!" Hanako said, her face deep red. "I did not!"

Megumi shook her head at the three girls. "Sometimes I forget what it's like to live in a smaller town where everyone knows everyone else's business," she said with no slight exasperation. "Please feel free to tell everyone that Sagara Sanosuke is an old friend from Tokyo, and my new assistant. He is neither beautiful nor scary."

"That's a matter of opinion," that worthy said as he returned. Grinning at the girls, he went on, "Beautiful ain't for me to say, in spite of what I said earlier. But scary… Nah, not unless you do somethin' to hurt the Fox, here." Though he still smiled, his eyes glanced away from the girls at something only he could see and the slightest change in his expression sent a chill down their spines.

The twins exchanged glances. "Are you and Megumisan…"

"Together?" Ayame finished for her sister.

Megumi's response, whatever it might have been, was cut off. "Maybe," Sano said with another insolent grin. "But ain't you rumormongers had enough fodder for one day?"

"Baka. Why do you need to drag this out?" Megumi snapped.

"Who's draggin' anything out?"

"I cannot afford to have rumors flying about me. The health and well being of these people is my responsibility, and I cannot afford to have my reputation in question. Do you care so little about anything but yourself that you can't respect that?"

"Oiy," Sano protested, the grin fading. "I came here cuz I wanted to make sure you were okay, and I ain't gonna just leave you alone!"

"They certainly fight like a married couple," one of the twins remarked quietly.

Unfortunately, the doctor and the fighter both heard. Blushing for no reason either one could rightly fathom, they glared off in different directions.

"I am definitely not married to that great big lazy lump!"

"Like I'd wanna be married to a vicious vixen like that!"

The sisters exchanged glances. Sano muttered under his breath while Megumi gave him the cold shoulder.

Finally Hanako broke the awkward near-silence. "Ano… Takanisensei? Our examinations?"

"Of course. Come this way," she said a little stiffly, entering the closest examination room. Hanako followed, leaving the twins to stare at a still-blushing Sanosuke.

"I'm Ayame, and this is Yuri."

"That's our sister Hanako."

"Sagara Sanosuke," he introduced himself with a bow. Pushing his unruly hair back from his face, he grinned at them.

"You and Takanisensei seem to know each other well," Yuri ventured.

"We met in Tokyo a few years ago, through another acquaintance," he said casually.

"Was it very romantic?" Ayame wanted to know.

Sano started at that. "Romantic? Heh. Nah, I don't think you could call it romantic." He shook his head. "She was in a bit of trouble. Me and some friends helped her get out of it."

"What kind of trouble?" Ayame asked breathlessly.

"Some guy was after her." He shrugged.

Yuri stared at him, wide-eyed. "Was he a rejected suitor?"

"Somethin' like that, I guess," Sano said, suddenly uncomfortable. Megumi had apparently never discussed her past with these girls, which he could understand.

"Was she in trouble with the law?" Ayame looked intrigued, as though she wanted to be scandalized.

"Come on," Sano said dismissively. "That woman may be a snippy vixen, but she's no lawbreaker."

Yuri looked almost disappointed. "Takanisensei isn't a snippy vixen," she defended the doctor loyally.

"Should I tell them I hear every word?" Megumi asked Hanako softly, who was blushing again.

The eldest sister shook her head. "This is a great way to learn more," she agreed.

"Well, you're all done," Megumi said after another moment. "Send in one of your sisters, and don't pay attention to that loudmouth."

"Which one?"

"Oh, either one," Megumi said.

"No," Hanako giggled. "I meant which loudmouth."

Megumi laughed softly as Hanako stepped back into the main waiting area. She had to credit Sano; he had realized that she hadn't discussed much of her time in Tokyo with anyone. ~Somehow he managed not to say something stupid this time. I'll have to thank him later.~ She made a face at the notion; it was an unfamiliar idea. She shook her head as one of the twins entered the exam room. ~Thanking Sanosuke. Who ever would have imagined it?~


	4. Chapter 4

**Aftermath**

**Part IV: Common Ground**

The afternoon rush had picked up shortly after the twins had left. Many of the reactions to Sanosuke's presence were along similar lines: surprise, tentative ventures into conversation, and amusement at the odd relationship between their doctor and this stranger she called friend. It showed her in a different light than many of them had seen before; suddenly the beautiful woman doctor was a real person instead of the enigma she'd always seemed. The repercussions of that revelation would take longer to spread.

When the rush finally ended and the last patient had left, Megumi sank gratefully onto one of the stools with a tired sigh. She was a little surprised that she wasn't quite as exhausted as usual, but then having a strong man around to do a lot of the manual labor was a great boon. Sano came in after having banked the fire for the night and managed somehow to flop gracefully onto a stool. Something in the back of Megumi's mind wondered how he'd managed that; a graceful flop ought not to be possible.

"Is every day like this?" he finally asked.

"No," Megumi said. "Some days are worse." She offered a rueful smile and he returned it in kind.

"And you don't get a day off, do ya."

She shook her head. "Life doesn't take breaks. Emergencies can happen at any time, day or night. I'm always available; the next closest doctor is a good four hours away by fast horse."

"Could you teach me?"

Megumi looked up at the question and studied the man across from her much as she had when discussing the possibility of him studying Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. "You do realize that medicine is not something you can learn in a month's time."

He shrugged. "No, but the basics of it, scratches and broken bones and things, simple medicine like for headaches and stuff… Just to take some of the pressure off of you."

She continued to stare at him, but there was something different in her expression now. "You really have changed," she said softly.

"So have you," he said in the same tone. "You're working yourself to death," he added. "I'm willin' to bet you don't eat or sleep enough either. You're downright skinny, Fox, and paler than ever. You're so damn busy takin' care of everyone else that you've stopped lookin' after yourself – and I never thought I'd see the day that Takani Megumi neglected herself."

His tone was gentle but his words felt as though he had used "that stupid technique" to deliver them. The wounded animal look was a shadow in her eyes, and he regretted saying it. ~Still, it had to be said.~ Trying to soften the impact, he added, "You've still got a better figure than Jouchan."

She leveled him with a look, then closed her eyes and sighed. "Baka." He couldn't be sure if there was a trace of a smile around the word, but he thought there might have been.

"Did we ever talk back then?"

"What?"

"You and me. Did we ever really have a conversation that didn't degrade into insults or a fight?"

Megumi looked thoughtful for a long time. Sano had begun to wonder if she'd fallen asleep when she shook her head slowly. "I don't know if we ever did." Her eyes were full of regret when she looked at him again. "There was always so much else going on, there were always other people around… We were never alone together except when I examined your hand."

"And even then we'd end up insulting one another," he remembered, almost fondly. "There was that one time… After the fighting in Kyoto, do you remember?"

"Remind me." There was definitely a teasing smile now.

He dragged the stool over to sit in front of her. "You were sayin' somethin' about Kenshin and Jouchan. How his finding happiness was more important. I don't think we'd ever had a serious conversation like that before, and it didn't happen much after."

"And you said, 'If "Kensan" could see you now…'"

"'I don't think he'd be quite so happy where he is.' Yeah. I stand by that even now." His eyes dropped to where her hands were folded on her knees, and he placed his own around them. Though the day was warm, her hands were like ice. "But his loss, Kitsune. I'm not gonna ask again. I'm just gonna say I'm here, and when you're ready, whenever you're ready, I ain't goin' anywhere."

He was looking at her. She was looking at their hands.

"I… Thank you," she said a little uncertainly. "Thank you, Sanosuke. For everything then, and now. Especially now. Your hands are warm," she said, as though the observation surprised her.

"And yours are freezing."

"I've always been cold lately. Winter wasn't so long ago," she reminded him.

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. It's spring. You shouldn't be so cold." He studied her uncertainly. "You're not sick, are you?"

"No. Just tired."

"You work too hard."

Now she pulled her hands away. "There is no choice, Sanosuke. These people have placed their lives in my care. Their health, their happiness is at stake and I cannot abandon them. How else can I atone? You were the one who said you could forgive me for your friend's death if I worked hard at being a doctor."

"Oh sure, throw it back at me," he grumbled.

"No. Just once, I don't want to fight with you," Megumi said abruptly. "Excuse me. I think I'm going to go to sleep." She stood up.

"What about dinner?"

She glanced away. "I'm too tired."

"You don't have anything, do you," he said suddenly. "I know that look. I've lived with that look." Suddenly he grinned. This would be the perfect opportunity for what he'd planned the night before, with a little help. "Wanna make everyone nuts? Put on your best; I'm takin' you out tonight."

"Sano, I truly am tired. I really do just want to sleep."

"Nope. Not buyin' it. Just dinner. That's all I'm askin' ya for. Dinner, and I'll walk ya home, make sure you get in all right, and go back to Karitakusan's. How often do you actually go to a nice restaurant?"

She gave up. "All right. Let's go."

"Not until you put on your best clothes."

"This is my nicest –"

"Bullshit. You expect me to believe you've visited Tokyo like that and gotten away with it? Jouchan and Kenshin ain't stupid. They'd've known right away how tough it was for you. We've all been there. Now get. I'll wait." He folded his arms and gave her a look she knew all too well from the inside; he meant what he said. With a sigh, she padded toward her room and unpacked one of the kimono she kept for Tokyo. ~He's right. I really do look tattered. No wonder no one will speak to me.

~How can I be seen? My hem drags in the dirt, though I hold my head high.~

She gave a startled laugh as she realized she had thought in the form of a haiku; she took an extra moment to scribble the poem. She mused over the poetic form; more properly it was a senryu. Haiku were more focused on the natural aspect of things.

She decided it was a senryu after all as she retied her obi.

The kimono was not lavender; it was a pale grey with a rich floral print. She remembered the last time she had worn it, two years before on her last visit to Tokyo. The last time she had seen Kenshin and the others. The first time since... the incident. She had meant to visit again, but there had been so many handy excuses. ~All of them convenient covers for the fact that it was simply too hard to see them. And I was too afraid that they would know something happened.~ She shook her head and brushed out her hair. This was not the time to be dwelling on such things. Maybe Sano was right.

~Wait. Thanking that tori-atama and admitting he's right in the same day? Maybe I'm coming down with something.~ Smiling to herself, she shook her head again and stepped back into the room where Sanosuke waited.

"Nice," he said speculatively. He grinned. "You're gonna make ma feel self-conscious or somethin'."

She looked at him shrewdly. "I doubt it. I don't think you've ever been self-conscious about your appearance a day in your life."

"Not until now," he said with a smile. "But I ain't got anything different."

Slowly, a wicked grin spread across her features. "Well, we could always go shopping for you before dinner."

He cringed. "I thought you hated shopping."

"I do, usually. But if it's for a worthy cause..."

Sano wanted to cry with joy as the fox ears popped up and the familiar wicked laugh sent chills down his back. ~There's the Fox-woman I know!~ But for form's sake, and because the laugh really did scare him as little else ever could, he cringed.

"I don't really want to..."

"It's not really fair to make me get all dressed up and then not do the same, since this was your idea," she pointed out.

Grumbling, he succumbed. "Isn't it kinda late for most stores?"

"Not necessarily." She stepped out the door and he had no choice but to follow.

He liked the way the pale grey material with its contrasting design looked on her, in its own way much better than the lavender he was accustomed to seeing her wear. "That's one of the ones you save for Tokyo, isn't it," he asked as she led him down the street.

She sighed, not seeing the point in lying. This new Sano was too damn perceptive! "Yes."

"I thought the government was supposed to be helpin' you set this thing up."

"They did. But the government can only spare so much time and money for one tiny little clinic in Aizu when the whole country needs the same amount of attention," she said practically.

"Bullshit. Stop making excuses for them. They're just tryin' to cheat you same as everyone else, out to line their own greedy pockets -"

"Stop it!" She turned on him, her anger real and obvious. "You're hardly the only one to have suffered because of the so-called 'Meiji Restoration'! Do you think I bear the Meiji government any more love than you do, or than Kensan does? Because of the Meiji revolution, my father is dead. Because of their stupid war, my mother and brothers are missing and very probably also dead. My home is gone! My life was thrown into just as much chaos as yours! Stop trying to blame everything that goes wrong on the new government and start trying to make things better on your own! Isn't that what Kensan tried to show all of us?" She kept her voice low, conscious that they were in the middle of the street, but every word had the force of his own punches as she threw them at him. "It's been ten years since the war, and four more since we all parted ways with Kensan and Kaoruchan. Isn't it time that all the work he put into saving us each showed some results?"

He actually stepped back, uncertain of how to react. Uncertain, in fact, of how her words made him feel. He had thought that he had moved on. So he retreated into familiar anger. "I will never forgive the new government for what they did to Sagara-taichou and the rest of the Sekihoutai. I will never forget them, never forget how they were treated by those assholes with their so called culture and enlightenment."

"So? Don't forget. Don't forgive! Do you think I will? But forgiving is not forgetting. Forgetting is not moving on. You don't have to forgive or forget, but stop whining and do something to fight back by working to improve the way people live NOW!"

Taken aback once more, he stared at her, at her flashing eyes, her flushed face, the way her breasts heaved beneath the disguising layers of fabric... Suddenly he smirked. "Damn, Kitsune. No wonder I always loved to piss you off."

Having followed his brief glance, she drew back one hand and slapped him across the face.

"You are FIRED," she hissed, and pushed past him back in the direction of the clinic.

He stared after her, one hand going to where the imprint of hers still burned – and would for hours to come. He wanted to go after her; he wanted to yell "Fine!" and go the other way. He had a feeling that the latter would not impress her. The former wouldn't do him much good either, but there was really no way around it. He went after her.

"Kitsune. Megumi! Wait!" Normally, his longer legs would have made catching her easy, but rage fueled her and she moved quickly. "Look, I'm sorry! Will you stop running?"

She whirled to face him again, face flushed even more than a moment before. "Stop yelling in the street! Are you out to humiliate me further?"

"Not everything is about you!" He spoke without thinking.

"Same old Sanosuke. Making an unnecessary scene because he's not getting his way!"

He made a move to grab her wrist but stopped himself, too aware of the dangerous ground he was already standing.

"Megumi. You're right. You're right in that I won't get over it. I don't wanna get over it. But you're right in that I should be doin' somethin' other than beatin' up the damned greedy patriots and running from the law." He tried for a grin but didn't quite succeed.

"Is that the trouble that made you leave?" She seemed surprised by the revelation.

He nodded.

"I know you said something yesterday about someone else's activities coming to light. Kensan never told me anything more than that you were leaving the country because of some trouble you were trying to avoid. I didn't believe him; he only laughed when I said you weren't the type to run from trouble."

"Trouble, nah. Jail, yeah." He shrugged. "Hangin' out behind bars ain't exactly my idea of a good time. Speakin' of, weren't you gonna take me to buy some clothes to wear to dinner?"

For a long moment, she simply stared at him, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. "You... Are absolutely incredible, Sagara Sanosuke. Incorrigible beyond belief."

"Is that a yes?" The grin was back.

"Oh for... Fine," she huffed, turning back in the direction in which they'd started. "We've already given everyone on _this _street plenty to discuss."

"Heh," he said, one hand scratching awkwardly under long thick locks. "Sorry about that."

"What is it with us?" Megumi wondered aloud again. "Is there something wrong with us that we can't have a single, normal conversation?"

"Neither one of us is exactly what I'd call normal," Sano said ruefully. "Don't think any of us, including Kenshin and Jouchan, Yahiko, or anyone else we know, counts as normal."

"You'd think that would make it easier," Megumi sighed.

They walked in something approaching companionable silence until Megumi stopped in front of a shop. "Here we are," she said.

He hesitated. "I can come in with you," she offered. He shrugged, made a noncommittal noise, and slumped his way into the shop.

"Is that supposed to be a yes?" she asked, her eyes raised heavenward as she followed him inside.

The shop was currently empty, much to their relief. Megumi had a bad feeling that shopping with Sanosuke was going to be less fun than usual. The shopkeeper greeted them with a smile and a bow.

"You are the doctor, Takani Megumisensei, yes?" he said. "And this must be the new assistant."

"Sagara Sanosuke," the tall man introduced himself automatically.

"You honor my humble shop," he said with another bow. "How may I be of service today?"

Sano mumbled something incomprehensible. The shopkeeper kept his bewildered smile pasted on until Megumi sighed. "He needs some clothing more suitable to work in the clinic."

Together, doctor and shopkeeper eyed the sullen figure before them. The narrow legs of his short, worn hakama, the ragged cloak that had replaced the open gi she remembered from of old... "All those bandages," the old man sighed, shaking his head. "Unforgivable. No, a man of your stature needs to dress with dignity. I have just the thing," he said with yet another bow as he slipped into the back of the shop.

"A man of my stature?" Sano wondered aloud.

He emerged moments later with white hakama, neatly folded, of a more suitable length to Sanosuke's height. In addition, he bore a kimono to wear with them in a bright red shade.

He did not understand what made Sanosuke and Megumi exchange a look and burst out laughing. He thought about becoming offended, but sensed that their laughter was that of old friends sharing a secret joke rather than any sort of mockery.

"If red is not suitable, although with your coloring, I think it would be quite dashing..."

Snickering, Sano shook his head. "Nah. Sorry, but it's the way an old friend of ours dresses. White hakama and red kimono. We look nothing alike. I can't see us dressing alike."

"Although it might be amusing for a visit," Megumi added thoughtfully.

Sano snorted into laughter again. "Yeah. No. Next time anyone goes visiting we can talk about it."

Megumi giggled behind her hand and turned back to the proprietor. "Perhaps something a little more sedate?"

The wizened man smiled, bowed, and retreated with the red and white outfit. Megumi and Sano exchanged another look and dissolved into giggles again.

~Why can't it always be like this?~ one or the other wondered. The thought might even have crossed both their minds, but the shopkeeper returned. This time he carried royal blue hakama and a pale blue kimono.

Sano's head was shaking before he could even speak. "Sorry. That reminds me too much of someone else," he said. In response to Megumi's puzzled glance, he shook his head again. "Kyoto."

"Ah," she said, not questioning. The shopkeeper shrugged and retreated again.

He was gone a bit longer this time, and Megumi began to wonder if they would ever find something that met both her criteria and Sano's.

"Do I really gotta dress traditionally?" Sano turned a soulful glance on her.

"You were the one who wanted me to dress more formally," she reminded him. "It's your money, so you can buy as much as you want."

He shrugged. "Still, how'm I supposed to fight in formal hakama?"

"Kensan and many thousands of others have always managed," she replied reasonably, her irritation at the question clear. ~Why is it always about fighting, with him? Hasn't he grown out of that?~

He was saved from responding by the return of the salesman, whose patience was beginning to falter only slightly. They could tell because he brought out several colors of hakama and kimono.

He lay them out before the pair. "Please feel free to mix and match," he said with a smile that was only slightly strained. He set down black, brown, white, grey, and green hakama. There were kimono in the same colors, as well as aqua, orange, dark blue, and lavender. At the sight of the last, Megumi and Sano exchanged amused glances again. Unable to resist, the ex gangster picked it up and held it next to himself.

"What do ya think?"

It was the exact same shade as the kimono Megumi wore regularly. Her eyes sparkled as she pretended to consider it.

"When we're marr-" he cut himself off, laying the kimono aside, turning away in the hopes that neither Megumi nor the shop's helpful owner would see his blush. "Yeah, you know, I'm just gonna go outside... You pick out what you think'll work," he told them. Tossing his wallet to Megumi, who was looking rather shell-shocked, he sauntered outside.

Biting her lip in confusion, she studied the selection before her and chose for him the white and black hakama and the white and grey kimono. In addition, she ordered two more pair of hakama in the style he always wore.

After a long moment, she selected one more kimono, her own cheeks red, and added it to the selection. "Have that one sent to me at the clinic separately, please," she said, accepting the others as the small shopkeeper wrapped them.

Smiling kindly at her, the old man nodded. "Don't worry, Takanisensei. I'll be discreet. When you are ready, he will understand."

She thanked him and, exchanging bows once more, she slipped outside to try to find Sano.

~What a strange day this has been so far, and it's not over yet,~ she sighed to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Aftermath**

**Part V: To Find the Road**

She found him down the road a little way, leaning up against a pillar and staring at the sky. She didn't know where he'd found it, and she didn't particularly want to know, but somehow between the time he'd left the shop and the time she did, he'd managed to produce a fishbone on which to chew.

"I'd hoped you'd given that up at least," she sighed as she approached him.

He shrugged. "Old habits die hard," he said neutrally.

"Here." She handed him his wallet, which he hefted out of habit. "You now own several changes of clothing. Why don't we go to the Ka…"

"Karitaku?" he supplied the name of the couple with whom he had accepted lodging.

She nodded. "The Karitakusan's, and you can leave your things there and change before we go to dinner?"

He started, then tried to cover for it. ~She's not mad? She still wants to go to dinner?~ "Yeah, sure." He started walking ahead of her, hoping she wouldn't see the ridiculously large grin that wasn't letting him suppress it.

She started to follow him and then realized something. "Baka!"

"Hmm?" He started to turn towards her and was met by several wrapped packages of clothing. "Oiy!" He managed to catch them all, somehow. Behind him, Megumi was glaring.

"I am not your packhorse!"

~No; I'd rather ride — oh, for… get a grip, Sagara!~ Red-faced again, he tried to pretend it was shame for having let her carry his packages. "Sorry," he tossed out.

She made a strangled sound of exasperation. "I thought you were supposed to have changed after four years of wandering the world."

He shrugged. "And after four years of tryin' to save it, I'd've thought you'd've changed too."

She opened her mouth, about to retort, then took a deep breath. "We're doing it again, aren't we."

His expression a blend of crossness and sheepishness, he shrugged again.

"How can we do it, Sano? How can we make it work? How can we start anew if we never stop fighting? Look at us. We may never get it right. Are we simply fools or altogether crazy?" ~Am I really meant to be alone forever?~

"We can work it out, Kitsune. Somehow. If we both want it that much… Do you?" Suddenly he stopped and turned back to face her, honest hope and fear mingled in his eyes. "Do you want to try to make a real go of it?"

She met his gaze, her head moving from side to side. "Sano… I want to try, but we have such a difficult history."

He opened his mouth to say something and was interrupted by a deep rumble. Wondering if he was ever going to stop blushing, he turned away and rounded the corner to the home at which he'd been staying.

"I'll be right back," he said. In response to her budding indignation at being expected to wait outside, he added, "the house is empty, and no matter what, it wouldn't be right." Taking his new clothes and his reddened face inside, he opened them and nodded. Black, grey, and white. He had to quash his disappointment at the absence of the lavender kimono. After a moment, he settled on the white hakama and white kimono. Donning the clothing was a little awkward as he had not worn a kimono in years. There had been a few years when he had not worn hakama at all, but had adopted the clothing of whatever country in which he happened to be at the moment, which was how the pair he had worn had survived.

He emerged moments later, the red hachimaki still tied securely around his brow. His long and unruly hair still tumbled down around his shoulders, but the crisp new clothing made him look more dignified and dangerous all at once.

"You look… good," Megumi said. "Not like a ruffian. It's a nice change for you," she said, hiding her reaction behind her favorite façade. She noted that he had draped his old jacket over his shoulders; he was not quite ready to give up his trademark "aku" character.

~Suddenly, he looks like a man. He's still the same Sano, still rugged and worn and youthful, but it's amazing what a change of clothing can do. He no longer looks like someone I'd be ashamed to work with. Or walk with.

~Not that I would have been ashamed of him,~ she hurried to scold herself. ~Not for his own sake. But it is nice to see him wearing real clothing instead of rags..~

"Oiy, Kitsune, you're staring."

"I'm startled."

He raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"You don't clean up so badly."

"You're gorgeous no matter what you wear." The words slipped out before he could stop them. ~Damn, damn, damn! You idiot, you're going to freak her out again!~

She merely smiled, flipped her hair back, and said, "I know."

He slumped, half-wishing the ground would swallow him.

"Did you have a place in mind for dinner?"

He nodded. "Karitakusan recommended a small restaurant at the other end of town." He wouldn't say more than that when she pressed him for information, so she was compelled to follow him, curiosity warring with frustration. If they were going to be friends, much less anything more, they had to work at it, and that meant learning to curb their tempers around each other.

No matter how difficult it might be.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Megumi was indeed surprised. No simple eatery like the Akabeko, this was a very exclusive establishment – read small and expensive – that she knew had to be reserved in advance. It was usually reserved by families or businessmen looking to make deals of some sort or another. That was when she realized that he must have made the reservation with the hopes that this was to be a celebratory dinner in honor of the beginning of their marriage…

She hesitated a moment as the realization hit her. "Sano… You didn't have to do this," she breathed.

He shrugged. "I wanted to. Besides, the reservation was already made. And you deserve it. No one's taken care of you in a long time. It's about time someone did, and you ain't."

An odd little smile played around her lips. "Sometimes you do say nice things."

"I always say nice things," he said, half-smirking, half indignant.

"Sometimes," Megumi reaffirmed, still with a little smile.

Sighing, he gestured for her to go ahead of him.

She had never been inside, and the place was indeed small but elegantly decorated. There were definite Western touches, including tables with chairs instead of cushions on the tatami mats. Each of the five small tables was elegantly laid out with soft white tablecloths and a silver candelabrum. She knew better than to ask what he'd chosen, since she understood that was part of the surprise.

She did not expect what was brought out first.

A large round platter, decorated with translucent slices of fine white fish laid out in a chrysanthemum pattern, was presented to them with a silent bow.

Sano thought Megumi's eyes were going to pop out of her head.

"Sano!"

"Yeah?" He tried for nonchalance. Failed. He ended up looking almost insufferably smug.

"Sano!" she hissed again. He said nothing and waited. "Sano!" The hiss was softer and more urgent this time. "Sano, this is fugu!"

"Yeah," he said, passing the border into insufferable smugness.

"Sano, fugu is not legal here!"

"Yeah."

"And this is fugu!"

He was finding it hard to keep from snickering outright at her incredulity. "And?"

"And… We shouldn't be having it!"

He shrugged. "But it's here."

He had been right, that was wonderment he'd seen in her eyes before the cautious disbelief. "Oh… Sano! Do you think it's safe?"

"Only one way I know to find out," he said with a grin. Reaching out, he snared a piece with surprising delicacy and brought it to his mouth.

His eyes closed involuntarily as the delicate taste of the fish filled his mouth. He'd not wanted to admit it to her, but he'd never tried fugu before, and he only knew of her fondness for it (she having had it twice in her life, before it was officially banned throughout most of Japan) from a conversation they'd had once at the dojo. She'd raved about it for minutes, even though by her own admission it had been more than ten years since the last time she'd tried it. Being that they rarely saw Megumi so enraptured by anything, Sano remembered how he and Kaoru and Kenshin had all watched her in fascination. Yahiko had been slightly repulsed by the idea, since she had explained to them in detail what fugu poisoning did and why it was banned, but what a shame it was because it was _just that good_.

It had been no small expense, but to see her face was worth it, he reflected once he had opened his eyes and grinned at her again. He watched her as she tentatively reached out and took a piece of her own. It looked like she hardly dared believe it was real. His grin widened as she looked at him as though asking permission and he nodded.

The sheer delight that glowed from her entranced him. She actually moaned, a tiny sound of pure pleasure.

~Yeah. This isn't helping.~

"Oh… Oh, Sano… I don't even care that it isn't legal… This is SO good!" she said in a voice just above a whisper. 

He would have been content to watch her eat the entire plate herself, but she would never have done so, and so they took turns. Before long they were feeding each other with the paper-thin slices, all the awkwardness and emotional sensitivity forgotten in the moment. 

It took some time, but suddenly Megumi looked down and made a small sound of dismay.

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly he worried that she had taken ill from the fish, but she raised a forlorn gaze to his and in an oddly mournful, little-girl voice said, "It's all gone."

It startled him into laughing; realizing how she sounded, Megumi had to shake her head as she joined him.

~This is how it's supposed to be, Kitsune. This is how we should be together, always. No fighting. No hurting. No anger. Just… Together.~ "There's dessert, too."

"Dessert?"

He nodded. "Mostly a Western concept, but it's a Western dessert so it's okay. But there's something else after that."

"Oh, I shouldn't…"

"But you will. I happen to know for a fact you will not be able to resist this." He grinned. She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him but he wasn't saying any more.

Several minutes later, the silent waiter appeared again with a pair of bowls, each containing an odd-looking brownish substance.

"Ice cream? Chocolate ice cream?" Megumi shook her head in disbelief. "I'm going to be so sick," she sighed happily, digging in with as much gusto as manners would permit.

He was glad for her carefulness, since the next and final course had him a bit nervous.

Originally he had indeed intended this dinner to be in honor of their making an official if not necessarily recorded marriage.

Married women still generally wore their hair in a particular style, shaved their eyebrows, and blackened their teeth. He wanted Megumi to do none of those things; in his time abroad, he had learned the customs of several other countries and he found the simplest held the greatest appeal for himself. He hoped she'd see it his way.

He'd planned this carefully, had come to the proprietor of the restaurant when making the arrangements and brought the simple gold band to be integrated into the final dish as both a garnish and a gift for her to discover. Normally, in Western tradition, the plain band was worn only after the wedding, and a ring with a gemstone was given for betrothal. He banked on her not knowing that and hoped he could get away with the plain band as a promise ring – an engagement ring.

He hardly tasted the cold sweet confection as he devoured her reactions with his eyes. ~It's kind of a shame she wouldn't take being spoiled regularly too well,~ he thought regretfully. ~She's too proud and too much of a believer in the rewards of hard work. It's a miracle I was able to get her here tonight at all.~

Sanosuke couldn't have imagined that her thoughts were running largely parallel to his own. ~Fugu and chocolate ice cream… If I were so inclined, I could easily lead such a decadent life. But I know he can't really afford this. It was supposed to be special.~ She hid the tears that came to her eyes with a sigh into her ice cream. It was indeed delicious. ~I don't know or want to know how he got the money for this. I do know that I can't afford to pay him any sort of salary; he won't make a living working for me. That isn't fair to do to him. But I want him around… No… I need him.~

She resolved to talk to him about it tomorrow. To have such a conversation immediately after such an indulgent meal would surely look as if he'd bought her affection with it.

Sano watched her as she sat demurely, eyes lowered to the table. She seemed thoughtful and he wondered what was on her mind, though he hesitated to ask for fear of breaking the fragile moment. Since they'd come into the restaurant, all dressed up, the tension had shifted. No longer was it their usual insult-slinging snipefest. There was something different. She did not call him tori-atama nor flinch when he'd called her Kitsune, as if accepting it for a term of endearment rather than the insult he'd once intended. ~If you made your move, she might well say yes tonight,~ said the little voice in the back of his head with a leer.

He lay it out with one hit. ~Shut up.~ Mentally dusting his fists, he sighed contendedly.

"That was really something, wasn't it?"

"Mm," she agreed. "I'd heard of this place but never imagined eating here."

Her unspoken concerns hung between them. ~It's too expensive.~

"Nothin' but the best for the best doctor around."

"The only doctor around," she reminded him.

"Scared the competition off again, huh?"

She smiled at that. The waiter appeared over her shoulder and he nodded. ~Now or never.~ He had geared himself up to speak when the waiter appeared, bowing once more.

"The sun is setting. If you two would care to come out back, we have a terrace from which you can view the sunset under the sakura."

He hadn't been expecting that but it sounded like the perfect setting. Of course, he had told the proprietor his hopes for this dinner, but it seemed to him that the staff was going above and beyond. Then he realized it made sense: his date was the only doctor in town. Naturally, everyone wanted her to be happy. What didn't make sense was if they wanted her happy, why did they keep their distance? Unless, and more believable, it was because she tended to keep them at arm's length...

He cleared the thoughts from his mind and offered her his arm as he rose. "Sounds nice. Shall we?"

After a brief hesitation, she accepted his arm with a bemused glance.

"We can serve the final course outside, if you prefer."

Sano nodded and the waiter led the way outside. He led them to the bench with the best view, which was no dilemma as they seemed to be the only patrons of the restaurant that evening.

Not even Sanosuke knew that they had actually canceled other reservations when he had told them he would be taking the doctor to dine there. One of her first patients had been the owner's mother, who had been ill for a long time and hadn't really expected to recover. Not only had she healed from the risky surgery Megumi had performed, but she claimed to be feeling better than she had in years and was active enough to prove it. The owner had been waiting for such an opportunity, knowing that an open demonstration would not be well received by the dedicated physician.

It was all to Sanosuke's advantage. He did not know the reason, but for the moment he didn't care. Megumi sat demurely on the bench, and Sano sprawled next to her as gracefully as he could. The sun was just touching the horizon, and the clouds earlier in the day had broken up to provide a stunning sunset framed by the pale pink blossoms of the sakura.

Megumi was mesmerized. She hadn't had time to watch the sunset since coming to Aizu. Every day was spent with patients or preparing for them or cleaning up after they had left. With Sanosuke there, the cleanup and preparation took much less time, and she knew she could trust him with the smaller cuts, breaks, and bruises. Soon, once he learned a bit more about them, she would leave him with the medicines for normal headaches and stomach upsets and be able to focus her attention more on the more serious cases. She sighed contentedly and leaned against him slightly without thinking about it.

He had been torn between watching the sunset and watching her watch the sunset. When he felt the slight pressure of her body against his side, he hardly dared to breathe. The implicit trust in the unconscious movement made him want to shout for joy. The fragility of the moment would shatter if he did, and any progress he had made would have flown out the window.

The sun had disappeared and the sky was darkening. The waiter had come out and silently lit lamps around them. Megumi hadn't moved, so neither had Sanosuke. He had long since stopped looking at anything but her.

"Megumi... there's something I think you should know."

"You planned this dinner to celebrate our marriage."

"You knew?"

"I figured it out."

"Aa."

"Sano... There's something you should know, too."

"I'll hear you out, but I think you should take the final course."

"Oh, I don't think I could eat another bite."

"Come on, Kitsune," he said, his tone making his affection clear. "I promise, this you won't be able to resist."

"Just a taste might not hurt."

The waiter appeared then with a single plate. On it was a strange-looking flower of a brownish hue and oddly rough texture.

"Abura age?" She looked up at him in consternation. "Seriously, Sanosuke?"

"No Fox worthy of the name could say no to it," he smirked.

Megumi hated to admit weakness almost as much as she hated to admit defeat. Unfortunately for her, Sanosuke had no idea how right he was on that particular score. As a child, abura-age had been one of her favorite treats, which was one of the reasons she hardly ever indulged. It was so hard to resist...

"I should dose you with something painful," she muttered as she reached for one of the petals.

Underneath it, she noticed something gleaming on the plate, even in the dim lantern light.

"What's this?" Popping the succulent tidbit in her mouth, she chewed slowly, savoring it, before reaching out and poking her chopsticks at the golden circle. "A ring?"

"In the west, couples become engaged when the woman wears a ring given to her by her guy. I know you've got a lot to face, but... I want you to know I'll face anything with you. I ain't gonna let you be alone. Please say yes. It doesn't have to be now, but please say you'll marry me someday."

"Sano..." She breathed his name.

"Megumi?"

She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes giving nothing away. Quick as that, her chopsticks snaked out and she seized another piece of the fried tofu skin. "If I say yes, it's not because of the abura age." she grumbled.

"So that's a yes?"

"It's not a no." She reached out, taking the third and last piece from the ring, leaving the ring on the plate. After she finished it, she picked up the gold circlet, slipping it onto her left index finger. It was too small, and Sanosuke shook his head.

"Not there. Here." He guided it onto her third finger.

"But Sano," she said as they both looked at the bright gleam on her finger. "We do need to discuss a few things first."

_[AN] I did not make up the method of shopping; as of the end of the Edo period, that was how it was done. I did, however, make up every little bit of the anonymous restaurant and its quasilegal dining experience._

_And no, I have never tasted fugu._

_Abura-age - deep fried tofu skin – is supposedly the favorite food of Kitsune spirits. So Sano was trying to be cute..._

_It was during the writing of this chapter that I realized Megumi/Sanosuke shippers have their theme song all wrong. It's not the "traditional", accepted "Two of a Kind". It's Michael Bolton's "How Can We Be Lovers" (if We Can't Be Friends)? So while songfics are not permitted, nor is the reproduction of lyrics, go look that song up if you don't already know it and then try to tell me I'm wrong. [/AN]_


	6. Chapter 6

**Aftermath**

_Part VI: The First Step_

There was no tab to settle, as Sano had made the arrangements and paid in advance. They left the restaurant, arm in arm, Megumi looking pensive and Sanosuke beaming at everything in sight. Several minutes passed.

"I was going to discuss this tomorrow," she said softly, "but I think that would not be wise. I am not changing my mind, Sano. But you may change yours."

"Uh-uh. Nothin's gonna make me change my mind. I blew it before. Not again. This time I ain't lettin' ya go."

It was not his imagination. She did squeeze his arm.

"Sano… I have no money. I work all day, every day, and most of these people cannot afford even the simplest medicines. Most of what I had saved has gone to buy supplies for those who need them. I have not had the time or money to buy so much as a decent kimono since I came here. I cannot afford to pay you. Most of my meals come from the innkeeper's generosity." She fell silent once again.

"And? First off, you're not the type to take charity. You've earned those meals and then some. Besides, if we need extra, I can take on odd jobs. I'm no longer afraid of workin'. Never was, just never saw a reason to. Now, I got a reason." Through the darkness and shaggy long hair, she could see his smile was genuine.

But she was already on the defensive. "So if things get better, you'll go back to being a layabout and a sponge?" Everything she had ever cared about before had been destroyed. Every person she had ever loved had left her, one way or another. Even in Tokyo, she had hesitated to grow close to anyone. Her feelings for Kenshin aside, she had kept the others at as much of a distance as they would allow – even Sanosuke himself.

~But he's here, now. He came back, and he came back to stay here. But anything could happen. Anything could change that. He's not as severely damaged as Kensan was… Unless you count brain damage. But one wrong move in a fight, and he's as dead as anyone else…~ She shuddered.

Sano, misinterpreting, didn't notice the trepidation in her voice under the skeptical tone. "Oiy! I _said _I've changed. I _said_ I wasn't gonna leave you hangin'. What do I gotta do to prove it to you?"

She looked at him, imploring him with her heart to understand, but he had looked away. She released her grip on his arm and shook her head. "Forget it. I wouldn't expect a tori-atama like you to understand."

~How can I understand it if you won't explain it?~ he wanted to yell. He tried taking a deep breath, but it didn't help much. "How can I understand if you won't explain?" he growled.

"I shouldn't have to tell you. You should be able to figure it out on your own." Even as she said the words, she knew how hurtful and pointless they were, but she found it hard to stop. The old patterns were hard to break, and for some reason every interaction with Sanosuke had always ended up in misunderstandings just such as this. She had been defensive by offense for so long…

"If you're gonna be that way about it, Fox." He moved to shove his hands in his pockets, then remembered that the formal hakama and kimono he wore lacked such affectations, and crossed his arms instead.

"Thank you for dinner," she said, somehow making it sound like an insult. "I won't trouble you further this evening."

He was tempted to let her return home alone out of pique, but being Sano, enjoyed the perversity of making her suffer his presence even though at the moment it hurt him as well. "No way. I said I'm walkin' ya home, and I'm walkin' ya home."

Wordlessly, she flipped her hair at him and stalked in the direction of the clinic. ~And to think just a few minutes ago I was ready to… to… Oh, sometimes I hate him so!~

The rest of the trip was silent as they each stewed in their own misery and confusion. Had they known how parallel their trains of thought ran, one or the other might have said something to make peace.

~I know I shouldn't get so pissed, but she knows just how to get to me! What was I thinking, coming here like this? Shit. Everything was so amazing just a few minutes ago. Where did everything go wrong? I knew the ring thing would be a stupid idea.~

Megumi was no less hesitant in blaming herself. ~I know I shouldn't get so defensive with him. I know it's my fault. But especially since… the attack, it's been even harder to trust anyone. I don't have a single close friend here. Oh, Kami, I am so lonely! And it's all my own fault.~

But pride kept them both from speaking, and they arrived back at the clinic still sullen and silent. Megumi found herself fidgeting with the ring inside her sleeves. For a brief moment, she considered giving it back to him, but something between petulance and desperation made her hold back. As angry as she was, she held close to two thoughts: first, that anger is always fear in disguise; second, if she returned his ring, Sanosuke would very likely disappear from her life again – but this time, forever. Deny it though she might, that was one consequence she was not prepared to face.

~You're not fired. I'm sorry.~ But when she turned to face him, she could not say anything beyond, "Thank you for tonight." Her throat was tight and the words came out clipped; she could hardly look at him.

But he was shaking his head. "No. I'm not lettin' it end like this. You may hate me right now, but I ain't leavin' at least until you unfire me."

"That's not even a word!"

"Like I care?"

"And that's always your problem. You don't care."

"Would I be here if I didn't care?" He threw the words out like punches, wild and hard.

"If you thought you could get something out of it, yes!"

"Okay, and just what exactly am I getting out of this?"

A hundred possible answers, ranging from "heartburn" to "really ticked off" occurred to her, but habit had her coolly say, "Nothing, but not for lack of trying."

He cursed, a string of profanity that would have impressed even an old sailor. "Don't you get it, Megumi?"

The police officer Satomura came around the corner, hat in hand. "Forgive the interruption, Takanisensei, but the neighbors… They are concerned…" He glanced cautiously from the doctor to her apparent companion.

She bowed, partly to hide her blush. "I ask forgiveness, Satomurasan. We will take our… discussion… inside."

He bowed and apologized, but he watched her go inside and laid a hand on Sano's shoulder. They were of a height, but Satomura had the easy bulk of a very powerful man. He clearly knew his business. "I don't know much about you, Sagarasan. But I promise you that if you hurt our Takanisensei, there is nowhere in Aizu, nowhere in all of Japan, that you will go and not hear of our anger. This is not a threat, but a simple statement of fact. She has never let anyone get close to her since she came here, and if we ever found out who first hurt her so badly that she cannot trust anyone, the responsible party will regret it for a long time to come."

Sano shook his head. "That guy's already in jail. And remember, Satomura, that her family came from around here; she's lost everyone. Would you give your trust up that easy, if you – Damn."

The men shared a long look of understanding. "It seems we both learned something tonight," the officer said with a sad smile. "She had a difficult time after the war, didn't she."

Sano shrugged. "I dunno much about most of it, but yeah. She's had a tough life. All I wanted to do was make it better for her."

The sad smile grew more complex as Satomura nodded. "That's all any of us wants for her."

Sanosuke looked at the other man, comprehension dawning. "You like her, dontcha." A lopsided grin spread on his own face.

"We all like her, Sagarasan."

"No, I mean you like her, like her. Did you ever tell her?"

"It isn't that way, Sagarasan. We just want her to be happy." He shrugged. "Me, I'm betrothed to be married soon. She's a good girl. It would be nice if Takanisensei could find someone to make her as happy as Miyokosan will make me. Just be careful with her, Sagarasan. From what you yourself say, she's been alone for so very long." The policeman released Sano's shoulder and nodded. "See you later?"

"Yeah. Later," the former fugitive said, befuddled.

Megumi had gone inside and not heard any of the conversation. She had decided that Sanosuke had simply decided to leave and so had started untying her obi to prepare for bed. Angry and ashamed, she berated herself silently as she folded the deep burgundy fabric neatly and lay it over the hanging rack. She had slipped the floral kimono off her shoulders; it was hanging around her waist when she heard his footsteps approach and stop.

He only had time to think, ~Ohshit,~ before her delicately balled fist knocked him into the wall.

"Oh, wonderful. Not only does he walk in on me, but now he's unconscious as well," she groused to any passing spirits. She conveniently ignored the fact that it was her own punch that had put him there.

She dropped a towel over his face and quickly changed into the yukata she kept for sleeping, then draped the kimono over the hanging rack as well. ~I'll pack that up tomorrow. In the meantime, what to do with this ahou?~ She nudged him with her toe. He groaned. She sighed and picked up the towel.

"Don't you know better?" Shaking her head, she slipped out to the kitchen and the large chunk of ice. Knocking off a few chips, she wrapped them in the towel and placed them on the definitive bruise that was forming on his chin. She also noticed some swelling.

He groaned again and his eyes opened; he looked at her warily. "Damn," he said and winced. "You're stronger than you look."

"More likely you've grown soft over the years," she said loftily.

"Trust me, I've taken some hits… Not even Kenshin could knock me out like that," he said, sitting up.

"You probably never walked in when he was changing."

He looked at her. She looked back, and suddenly he found his lips quirking. It hurt, but he gave into the laughter that bubbled up at the oddity of the idea. She stared in outrage before she too had to giggle, the almost silent laugh that was her real laughter.

He pressed the ice to his face again as they subsided. "That really hurt, woman. You seriously pack a mean uppercut."

"You really deserved it."

"Not really."

"No," she conceded. "Not really. But it felt good."

"For you, maybe," he grumbled, but he was smiling a little. "Now, you wanna try that whole being adult thing we were talkin' about before? Everything was goin' so well, and then… what happened?"

All traces of amusement left her features. "Oh. Sano… Everything was so wonderful... You went all out and made arrangements for a fabulous evening, and I went and spoiled it because I was afraid."

"Of bein' alone again?"

She nodded.

"I told ya. I ain't gonna leave ya alone."

She shook her head. "Anything can happen. What if there's a fight? What if –"

"What if somethin' happened to you? You think I would wanna go on without you? But I would. I'd know that we'd had whatever time together we were meant to have. I don't go in for religion much, never have, but sometimes I think I wanna believe just to have somethin' to curse out. Or sometimes to thank." He thought for a second, then grinned again. "Usually to curse out." He moved the ice pack a little. "You'd be okay. You know… I was just talkin' with Satomura. He said you've never let anyone get close to you. You can only spend so much time before ya need someone to talk to, ya know."

~Here I go again. If Kenshin could only hear me now. Nah, forget that. If Kenshin could only be havin' this conversation instead of me! I wonder if she woulda decked HIM for walkin' in on her…~ Rather than inspiring jealousy, the thought amused him. ~Yeah, probably, but she'd've offered to make up for it after. With interest.~ THAT thought made him pointlessly jealous. ~I'm just no good at this stuff.~

She remained silent, looking at the floor off to one side. "I've lost everything, several times over. I have so little now. I don't even have any friends beyond… beyond the 'Kenshingumi', really." She smiled a little as she recalled Yahiko's nickname for those people who had been drawn to Kenshin by circumstance but stayed out of personal attachment.

"Do you know what Satomura said to me?"

She shook her head. "Unlike some people, I don't eavesdrop."

Something in her expression told him she was not talking about him. "Heh. You knew she was there?"

"I knew both of you were there. Kensan gave it away."

"He said something?" That would have been unlike the rurouni. Sano thought back to the day they had met Megumi.

"No. It was the way he moved, the way he was so alert. I may not know how to fight, but no fighter can read a person better than a doctor. We know the intimate workings of the human body, we know how a person moves and why, and that makes it easy for us to determine even the slightest changes in movement. I could see by the way he moved his head when he heard her footsteps, his expression… When a doctor is paying attention, there is very little that can get by her. Or him. For example, the time you and Kensan fought when you had found your friend, Tsukiokasan. I never said a word to anyone else, but I recognized the mark of a reverse blade to your ribs. But I also saw that you two were even more at peace with one another, and so my diagnosis was an acute case of conflicting principles which was best treated by the passage of time."

Sanosuke looked at her agape. "You could tell all that just from one bruise?"

Megumi flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "Did it sound like I was making it up?"

"Actually, you were pretty dead on," he conceded.

"The problem arises when a doctor allows her feelings to cloud her judgment. It happens more often than you'd think. We're supposed to be objective and levelheaded all the time…"

"Is that why you always keep pushin' people away?"

"Push peop—I do not push people away!" she cried indignantly. She rose and turned away.

"And what do you think you're doing right now? Kitsune, do you realize how fond these people here in Aizu are of you? Do you have any idea how much they care about you?" He had been thinking about what Satomura said, and the way the shopkeeper had acted, and how pleased Karitaku and his wife had been when Sano had told them of his intentions, and about the restaurant… "I didn't plan the sakura and the sunset. That was arranged by the owners of that restaurant, and I'd bet everything I have – even though I mostly don't gamble anymore, much – I'd bet everything that they did it to show their thanks. There's only one other thing that's keeping you from being constantly surrounded by friends, onna, and that's you."

She whirled back to face him, her hair flinging out and around her as she advanced on him. He pressed the sodden towel to his bruising face and backed away slowly.

"Tell me I don't have the right! Tell me I'm not allowed to be afraid to trust, to care, after everything that's happened to me! After all I've lost! Tell me I'm wrong to want to keep what's left of my heart from breaking again!"

Suddenly he seized her hand, gently holding it up between them. "See that ring, which by the way I'm glad ya didn't take off? That ring means I ain't leavin' even if you wanted me to. I ain't gonna go ANYWHERE. And just to piss you off, I'm gonna live a long damn time. Oh, and I'm also gonna take you places and make you have fun even if you hate me for it."

He expected her to yell, to snap, to make some high-handed comment. He expected her to break down in tears and unburden herself, sharing all the pain. He expected anything but what she did next.

She laughed. And again, it was a real laugh, not the proper, ladylike sound that they'd all learned early on generally meant trouble for someone. "Now THAT is the sort of proposal I would have expected from you to start with."

Shrugging, he grinned, trying to ignore the relief that flooded him so heavily he thought he might fall over. "Yeah well. Seems a certain fox I used to know always did think I was a bit slow on the uptake."

"I still have nothing. I can't pay you as my assistant."

"And what about as your husband?"

"Husbands don't get paid."

"I'm not talkin' about coin," he said.

"Oh," she said flippantly. "So the real reason you want to marry me is free room and board after all?"

He pretended to think about it for a moment. "Yeah, let's go with that."

"Baka."

"Kitsune."

They smiled at each other.

"Okay. So now that we're clear on the rest of that, and I ain't gonna push you for an answer on that." He took a deep breath; the change of topic was risky. "I do wanna know who did that to you."

"Who did what?"

"Doctors ain't the only ones good at readin' people, remember. I'm no Kenshin but even I can tell you're scared whenever someone makes a sudden move in your direction." Thinking it over, he realized that she could tolerate casual contact, but when he'd reached for her, or pulled her closer, she seemed to be fighting panic. ~So there's some hope, but if I don't kill the bastards who hurt her, neither one of us is ever gonna get over it.~

"I…"

He pointed to the ring. "Not goin' anywhere, remember?"

She looked up again, granted him a fleeting smile: a fox startled out of her den. "It's nothing."

He leaned back, crossing his arms. The effect was spoiled by the trailing sleeves of the kimono as he fumbled with them. "Damn it, I'm never gonna get used to wearin' this thing," he grumbled. "Don't lie to me. Whatever happened won't go away on its own."

She shivered, and he realized that the night had grown cool again. And she was wearing only a thin yukata.

"Wait. I got a better idea." He rose, gingerly touched his jaw again, and shook his head. "That really hurt. I'm gonna get some more ice, and you go lie down and get under the covers. Then I'll sit with you and you'll talk."

She flushed. "Sano, I may not have turned down your proposal yet, but I'm hardly going to take you to my bed!"

"I ain't tryin' to get into your bed," he shook his head. "But you're shiverin', and the last thing any of us needs is a sick doctor."

She couldn't argue with the logic of that, and so she followed his instructions, pulling the blankets up securely around herself. She had curled up on her side and her back was to the door as Sano reentered. She looked so small, balled up under the covers, her long hair fanning out behind her in an inky spill of silk that cried out for his touch. He sighed and moved around to lean against the wall she faced. Pressing the ice to his tender jaw, he looked at her and his chest ached with the expression on her face.

"I try not to think about it," she said finally. "It was only a month after I arrived. The clinic had just opened a week before the… incident. It was late; two men came in. One of them said he had a headache and wanted me to give him something for it. They were clearly drunk. Typical yakuza, former samurai who didn't want to give up their spoiled lifestyle, who didn't care about who got hurt as long as they 'enjoyed themselves'."

Sano, who was leaning up against the wall in the same position Kenshin often had – minus the sword, of course – made a noise in the back of his throat. "They attacked you."

She barely whispered the affirmative. "They were the last patients of the day – or they ought to have been, if they had been patients. Instead, the one who claimed to have a headache closed the door and said he had a better cure than a powder…"

"Stop. I don't wanna hear details," Sano said. Although he had not shifted from his position, the tension and anger radiating from him were unmistakable.

"I should have stopped them. I should have tried harder. I could have screamed."

"And stop blamin' yourself! There were two of 'em, and you may pack one hell of a punch," he smiled fleetingly, "but they took you by surprise and I'll bet they got the drop on you, caught you off guard. Dammit, Kitsune, you're a doctor, not a gangster! You're not SUPPOSED to be prepared to defend against an attack at any second!"

"Is that supposed to make me feel any better?" She raised her head to look at him, tears tracking down her face but hints of amusement coloring the pain in her eyes.

"Uh, no," he fumbled, his anger momentarily softened. He was certainly not angry with her! "I guess not. Did it work anyway?"

"Maybe," she said, lowering her head again.

"Point is, it isn't your fault. And you're still shivering."

"I'm a bit chilled," she admitted after a moment.

He rose without another word and left the room. On his return a moment later, she felt the weight of two extra blankets as he covered her carefully. "Oiy. You can't take care of anyone else until you start takin' better care of yourself, and that's MY orders. As a doctor's assistant," he said with an offhand tone.

"You're making fun of me," she yawned.

"Yep. Now, do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"I already told you –" she began, but he cut her off, not liking the defensive hostility in her tone.

"I'm not even talkin' under the same blanket. Although I might sneak in between the top two, if you want me to stay with you, but I just meant stay here. Megumi… have I ever done anything to show that I don't respect you as a woman, not just as a doctor?"

She thought about it, slowly reviewing all she could remember of their every encounter. The first days, he had largely stayed apart, watching her warily. It was Yahiko who had slapped her rear, and Oguni Genzai who had rubbed it on the day she moved into the assistant's quarters at his clinic. She blushed at the memory of all the times she had embraced Kenshin, not entirely with the sole intention of upsetting Kaoru. But neither Kenshin nor Sanosuke had ever laid so much as an uninvited hair on her.

~Or even, she mused, ~especially in Kensan's case, an invited hair for that matter.~

Sanosuke waited patiently as she mulled over his question. He watched her face, paying special attention to her eyes, trying to guess what she was thinking based on her reactions. He failed utterly. All he could do was wonder what was making her blush.

"No," she finally said, interrupting his own thoughts. "No, you never have done anything to disrespect my person." She spoke slowly as though uncertain not of what she said but of how he might react.

"See? So it's up to you if you want me to stay or go. And if you want me to stay, just tell me where. All you gotta do is tell me what to do to make you happy."

_[AN] It's about time someone knocked some sense into those two, ne? [/AN]_


	7. Chapter 7

**Aftermath**

_Part VII: Hiding in Plain Sight_

Megumi opened her eyes, wondering why she felt so deliciously warm. An arm in a white kimono sleeve was draped across her middle, and a warm body was pressed against her back. She almost sat bolt upright, but stopped herself. Then the events of the evening before came flooding back into her sleep-fogged memory.

The restaurant. The fights before and after. The way she'd knocked him out – which brought a smile – when he'd walked in on her changing. The smile faded somewhat.

"Morning, Megumi," murmured a deep voice near her ear. Sano removed his arm and sat up.

"How did you know I was awake?" she asked, turning to him.

"You tensed up." He rose and she saw that he had not even covered himself with one blanket while she had remained under three. Then she remembered Sano saying, _"All you gotta do is tell me what to do to make you happy." _

She had barely been able to answer him. _"Don't let me be alone anymore."_

He had stared at her for a long moment, then knelt behind her and held her for a long time. She had fallen asleep like that. He must have covered her back up and then lay atop the blankets. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

"Yeah, some." Shrugging, he turned to leave. "I'll go set up while you get dressed. And I promise I won't walk in without announcin' myself way in advance." He grinned and rubbed his jaw.

"Don't you wish you'd thought of that yesterday?"

"No kiddin'." He left the room and closed the screen behind him.

She waited a moment before rising and fingered the sleeve of the kimono she had worn the night before. ~Is this what it would be like? Waking up next to him every day? Feeling his warmth, his strength at my back?~ It had been odd, but not uncomfortable. ~Would those things be worth the fighting and the misunderstandings? Have we come to a point in our lives where we can make it work?~ She sighed. ~And, most importantly… Can I give up on the fantasy I knew could never be to accept such a reality?~

She was all too aware of the increasing comparisons she was making between the two men. Kenshin, with whom she never had a chance, and Sano, with whom she'd nearly blown it yet again. ~Perhaps if I'd been kinder to him, he would not have left when Kensan went to Rakuninmura. Perhaps he would never have gotten into trouble with the law. Although I can't really blame myself for that. That's one thing, anyway.~ She shook her head and retrieved the lavender kimono she usually wore.

She remembered the one she'd ordered on Sanosuke's behalf. She should have made sure it would be delivered when he was not around – except when was that going to be? And Karitakusan must surely wonder what had become of his lodger last night…

That settled it. ~I'll pretty much have to marry him now! Even regardless of what I feel, my reputation would be ruined if it became known that he had spent the night! No matter that nothing untoward had happened. Who would want to be seen by Doctor Lightskirt?~

Tying her obi, she resolved to pick up the kimono herself as soon as she had a chance to slip away. Perhaps it would be a good opportunity to acquaint some of her patients with her new assistant. ~Although I'm not sure he's ready to have charge of the clinic, even for an hour…~

By the time she folded her futon, put away the flowered kimono, and emerged from the room, Sano had stoked the fire, put up water to heat and begun to make tea. "I couldn't find anythin' for breakfast," he said, almost accusingly. "You weren't kiddin', were you."

"No. What made you think I was kidding?"

He shrugged. "Nothin'. But no friend of mine is gonna live in poverty." He felt like he'd dodged a bullet by not saying wife. He should have remembered his audience.

"So now I'm back to being a friend?" Her voice was cool as she tossed her hair back.

"Nah. You were always a friend. Well, after that whole mess in the beginning," he grinned. "But I thought I'd try not to push my luck by sayin' 'no wife of mine' yet…"

"In the past three days you keep saying nice things. I may have to believe you've changed."

"Believe it or don't. I don't care what you believe as long as you don't chase me out. I keep my promises."

His eyes darted to her hand. She was wearing the ring.

"That's a good thing. I should write everyone to let them know you'll be staying here," she said. "If you don't mind finishing up the preparation of the clinic, I'll just be a few minutes. If there's a lull I'll go out to the post office later today."

"Sure," he said.

She returned and knelt at her desk. Hearing him moving around in the clinic, she smiled to herself and began to write. Had Sanosuke looked in on her, he might have thought he'd seen her Fox ears and tail again.

She smirked to herself as she reread the letters. ~It's true,~ she realized. ~According to the old custom - very old, it's true - all that's really required for us to be married is for us to spend three nights in succession together. Whether or not marital activities took place during those nights is irrecelant,~ Megumi mused, ~since who would know?~ Her smirk faded. As attractive as Sanosuke was, it was going to be difficult for them both… He would never push, but she could not expect all their nights together to be so chaste. But she was no longer pure... Still, he didn't seem fazed by that.

And that's when the idea came to her: she would go, mail the letters, pick up the kimono, and leave it with his things back at the Karitaku home, so in two more days, when she sent him to pick up his belongings, he would find it there. By then, of course, she would have already made known to him that his proposal was accepted.

~Most marriages are not based on love. They're based on family and practicality and continuity. If a couple can get along, there's no reason for them not to marry. And it certainly is better than being alone… But Sanosuke… Can I really be happy with him? He does seem to have matured in the last four years. And he certainly doesn't seem to shy from the idea of hard work and financial difficulty. He's not the boy I knew four years ago. But is he enough of a man for me as I am now?~

Completely unaware of Megumi's ruminations, Sanosuke finished readying the clinic, trying to ignore the growling noises coming from his abdomen. He was not unused to hunger, but he had never much enjoyed it – and he certainly wasn't willing to let Megumi endure it any longer. He decided to ask his temporary landlord that evening when he left the clinic if the man knew of any odd jobs at which he might make enough to help support Megumi.

~I'm gonna show her I'm not the same dumb kid I was back then. I may not have the makings of a real doctor's assistant but there's gotta be something I can do. She was right, the other night. I'm hardly the only one who suffered because of what happened fourteen years ago. With all the suffering she sees every day, and with everything she's been through…~ Not for the first time, he wondered, ~How did they put up with me so much back then?~

It was something Megumi had wondered at the time, and she shook her head now to think of that as she watched him. He was so absorbed in his thoughts and the simple prep work that he hadn't even noticed her presence at first. "Sano? Since no one's here yet, I'm going to take these letters to be sent out. I have one or two other quick errands to run so I won't be back right away. There are no appointments scheduled for this morning. Will you be all right for an hour or so?"

Projecting a confidence he didn't quite feel, Sano cocked his head and grinned. "Yeah. Sure. No sweat!" ~At least no one's here now. Maybe I'll get lucky and no one will come in 'til later.~

"I only hope no one comes. For everyone's sake," Megumi said dryly as she left. Sanosuke looked at her, unsure whether to agree or take offense. She laughed, just a little wicked laugh to throw him off, and walked out.

"Damn Kitsune," she heard him mutter, which made her laugh more.

~Silly tori-atama. You have no idea how well this Fox has caught you in a trap of your own design.~ The thought sobered her. Was she really doing the right thing?

She stared at the letters in her hands as she walked. She rarely left the clinic during the day, and didn't notice the concerned glances from several passersby. She went to the post office without registering the tentative but warm greetings from the people she knew.

The postmaster was new in town, having moved to Aizu only a few months earlier, and did not know her well. She paid him for the postage, sighing inwardly at how light her purse was and wishing once more that some really rich person with poor health would move into the area. Then she turned her steps to the store she had visited the night before with Sanosuke.

The proprietor welcomed her warmly but with his concern clear. "Forgive me, Takanisensei. I hope there is no problem with the clothing?"

"Oh, thank you! No, there is no problem at all. I came for the lavender kimono. I realized rather than having it delivered, I should give it to him myself."

"Ahh. I'll bring it right out, then."

She felt some surprise. ~His smile… he seems genuinely happy. But the kimono is already paid for. Why should it matter if I pick it up or if it's delivered?~

"I was going to have my son deliver it this afternoon, but this is wonderful," the old man said as he emerged with the kimono wrapped - rather carefully in red paper, she noticed. "Usually the gift is hakama, but since the young man expressed an interest in this kimono…" He beamed at Megumi as he handed her the package.

Suddenly the doctor remembered the conversation, and how Sano had cut himself off, and she looked down at her own kimono – the same shade as the one she now held wrapped in red paper. She felt the warmth rise to her face. "Not that it's any of your business, but my assistant has paid for his own clothing," she said archly.

That didn't phase the man in the least. "If you say so, Takanisensei. Thank you for your patronage, then," he smiled and bowed again.

She murmured something that she hoped sounded polite and left the store, the kimono held out gingerly before her. ~Now I'm not so sure this was a good idea…~ Preoccupied now with the kimono, she made her way to the Karitaku residence without noticing the smiled greetings sent her way.

She knocked at the door of the small home at which Sanosuke was renting space, and a moment later the shoji door slid open. "Hello, may I – oh! Takanisensei! Please come in! Is everything all right? We were not expecting you!"

~Stupid stupid stupid! I'm dumber than he is, why did I come? But it's too late now…~ "Forgive the intrusion," she bowed to the sturdy older woman who had answered the door. "I will only take a moment of your time."

"There isn't a problem with that nice young man, Sanosukesan, is there?"

"I hope not," Megumi muttered softly.

"I beg your pardon? I'm afraid I didn't hear that," the woman said apologetically.

"Sorry, Karitakusan," she said in a normal tone. "I have come to ask a very small favor of a rather delicate nature." She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "I would ask for this to be secured with San- Sagarasan's belongings as unobtrusively as possible. He should come here in two days' time to pick his belongings up."

The wide grin that broke across the old woman's face was unmistakable. "So the dear boy has won you over after all! I'm a bit surprised he hasn't told us himself!"

Megumi found it hard to speak the next words. "He doesn't exactly know it yet."

"Oh? This should be interesting to hear."

The doctor struggled to keep a civil tongue. She had come to ask a favor. ~It would hardly be right to lay into the nosy old woman under the circumstances! What a bunch of gossip-hungry old biddies in this town!~ She counted silently to ten, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. "My relationship with Sagarasan is very complex. Sometimes I don't think I understand it myself," she admitted. "But this is how it always has been, with us. I beg your discretion in this matter. Please do not speak of it to anyone before the… process is complete."

The old woman took pity on the younger one. Everyone knew how proud the doctor was, and how sensitive. Though it had been more than three years, during which she had never let anyone get close, she tended to let her guard down just a bit when examining patients. She was a consummate professional but she had a warm and friendly bedside manner, always doing her best to make sure her patients were comfortable and happy. She hadn't noticed, wrapped up in her work and her fear, how highly the people she cared for thought of her. They'd often ascribed it to her proper upbringing.

The truth, however, was beginning to come to light. ~She's shy!~ Karitaku Chiyoko was surprised by the revelation, but it did explain a lot. ~She's been hurt badly in the past. More than we all know about. It's made her shy. That's why she's always been so defensive.~ "Of course, Takanisensei. Not even my husband shall hear of this until after Sagarasan has taken up residence in the Takani clinic," she said with a warm smile. She held her hands out for the red-wrapped package, which Megumi handed over. "I'll just put this aside until the day after tomorrow, then I'll put it in with his things." She couldn't stop the grin, but hoped that the perceptive doctor would dismiss the cause as being connected to her happiness over her boarder's impending marriage.

"Thank you, Karitakusan." Bowing deeply once more, Megumi rose and left the house. Schooling her features into a calm she didn't feel, she turned her steps back toward the clinic to discover what chaos Sanosuke had engendered. She didn't doubt his ability to get into trouble when left to his own devices, no matter how innocuous the situation might otherwise seem.

To her surprise, the clinic was still standing and intact. No signs of violence or destruction, no echoing cries of dismay or fear reached her senses as she approached the building. Somehow that only contributed further to her caution.

There was only one young boy in the waiting room looking incredibly bored.

"Hi Takanisensei! My mother's in the exam room with Sagarasan. My little brother fell and hurt his leg." The boy rolled his eyes. "What a crybaby."

"You know he's only three. Everyone cries sometimes. Even grown boys. It's perfectly natural," Megumi assured the six year old.

"I'm a big boy. I don't cry," the youngster puffed out his chest.

Megumi smiled. "That's okay too, but remember that crying isn't a bad thing unless you do it too much."

"I will, Takanisensei!"

"That's good. Now let me go see how my assistant is doing with your little brother." She followed the shrieks to the exam room where she fully expected the worst.

In the few seconds it took her to cross the floor, her mind had a fully detailed picture of medicines and bandages all over the floor, a screaming, crying child throwing a tantrum in the midst of it while a distraught mother sought to calm him, and a thoroughly miserable Sanosuke hogtied in bandages on the floor. The door to the room was open, and the sight that met her eyes shocked her far more.

The child was indeed shrieking, but it was not in rage or fear. His wound – apparently not much worse than a scraped knee – was neatly dressed and the room was in order. His mother looked up at Megumi's footstep, but Sanosuke was too busy holding the boy in the air over his head and making whooshing noises, laughing nearly as much as the delighted child, to notice her.

The doctor's eyes widened and her hand came up to her chest. It was in this attitude of surprise that Sano spotted her and stopped mid-whoosh. The boy hung in midair, giggling madly, balanced easily on one of Sano's large, strong hands. The look of surprise on the tall man's features echoed Megumi's, and the young mother tried to cover up her laugh with a discreet cough.

Slowly Sanosuke lowered the boy, still balancing him casually. Red-faced, he turned to the child's mother. "Here. Uhh. This is yours."

The boy giggled again as his mother took him in her arms and bowed her thanks. "I'll come back to settle the bill later," she said softly, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Sanosuke alone with an equally discombobulated Megumi.

"I see you've managed not to destroy my clinic," she said finally.

In a gesture he'd clearly copied from her, Sanosuke tossed his long hair back. "I don't see why you're so surprised," he grumbled. "It was just a kid with a scraped knee."

"There was a time where that child would have had you tied up on the ground in tears," she replied in the same tone. ~Well. I guess making him stay to clean up the chaos he created is not going to be an option to make him stay tonight… I'll have to think of something else.~ She turned away so he would not see the smile the thought brought to her face. It was going to be very difficult, keeping her plan a surprise. If only she could overcome that one hurdle, and become his wife in truth, there would be no need for such bizarre subterfuge… ~But the one I'm trying to trick… isn't him.~

_[AN] The letters will appear in the next part. That vixen… Only she would turn a proposal around on its ear like this! But will it backfire on her? [/AN]_


	8. Chapter 8

**Aftermath**

_Interludes, several days later:_

_1. Tokyo_

Kaoru was making silly faces and noises at her eighteen-month-old son, who was giggling and clapping. She was pretending not to notice fourteen year old Yahiko pretending to beat her over the head with his bokken, which was the real source of Kenji's amusement. He adored his silly young "uncle" and the feeling was mutual. Yahiko was the rough and tumble playmate that he was beginning to appreciate, being a little boy. Kenshin, up to his elbows in warm, soapy water, was watching them with gentle amusement.

"Excuse me, ma'am? There's a letter here for the Kamiya family." The postman smiled at her as he stood at the gate. "It's from Aizu."

"Oh! Thank you!" Kaoru left her son sitting on the porch and in one smooth motion, seized Yahiko's bokken on the way past and whacked him over the head.

"_Dear Kensan and Kaoruchan and Kenjikun and Yahikokun:_

"_By the time you read this letter, it will be too late. I can no longer live with such a burden as I have borne alone for so long. I cannot in good conscience even give you all my love. As I commit these words to paper, the process has already begun."_

"KENSHIN!" Kaoru looked at her husband with desperation. Her world was rapidly going dark and wavery as the tears filled her eyes.

"She wrote a lot more than that," he said, though his own face was full of concern.

Yahiko had stopped his antics and picked up Kenji, who was already sensing the distress of his beloved family and whimpering. "Lemme see," he said, but Kenshin had already taken the letter and scanned the lines.

A look of bewilderment spread over his face. "Oro…" Slowly the confusion bled into amused exasperation. "Maa, maa. She really hasn't changed."

"KEN-shin!" Anguish and confusion usually blended into an eruption of violence when stirred with Kaoru, so the redhead stepped back and continued reading the letter, smiling the entire time.

"_As you know, Sanosuke came here from Tokyo – by way of Kyoto as it was apparently "on his way" – after visiting with you. He has proposed to stay with me here in Aizu as assistant and as husband, and I have accepted. In two more days from the time I write this, he will take on my last name, and I will no longer bear these burdens alone. From now on, anything that goes awry will be his fault._

_Sincerely, _

_Takani Megumi_

"She didn't kill herself," Yahiko said with a wide grin of his own. "She did worse!"

"Megumi… and Sanosuke… married?" Kaoru said, back to simple bewilderment. Shaking her head back and forth, she tried and failed to get her head around the concept. "That… That VIXEN! Making us think she was going to kill herself, writing that stupid letter!" The tears were back.

"Megumidono always did have a rather twisted sense of humor," Kenshin said, making sure to stay out of harm's way.

"Think she showed Sano that letter?" Yahiko wondered aloud.

Kenji looked from his smiling uncle to his smiling father to his bawling mother and started to whimper again.

"Oiy, don't you start crying, too!" Yahiko said, jouncing the toddler up and down in his arms. "Everything's great. It's just that your aunt Megumi is weird. There's nothing to cry about. It's good news."

"Kaorudono, you should listen to Yahiko too," Kenshin said softly.

"Now we won't see EITHER of them for months!"

"Maybe we can pay a visit to them ourselves?"

"Kenshin, I can't close the dojo for no reason!"

"Kaorudono, when's the last time we took a real vacation?"

"We went to Kyoto last fall."

"That hardly counts as a vacation. Between the weasel and the old man, it's sightsee all day and party every night!" Yahiko rolled his eyes.

"You've never complained about that before," Kaoru said.

"I ain't complaining," Yahiko grinned. "It's just that it's not very restful. Besides, I think it would be nice to see what Megumisan's clinic looks like."

"Perhaps instead of Kyoto, we can go to Aizu at the end of the summer."

Kaoru looked thoughtful. "It would be nice to see them," she admitted. "And I know it's even harder for Megumisan to get away than it is for us. I suppose Hajime and Yahiko can teach for a week or two."

"Oh no! You ain't leaving me behind for this!" Yahiko said. "I've got me a hostage!" Grinning again, he held up Kenji over his head.

The redheaded child squealed with glee, his tears forgotten. "Yayo! Yayo!"

"This one thinks you've been outvoted, Kaorudono."

"Fine," she huffed, although she was smiling. "We'll go after Obon, then."

_2. Kyoto_

Misao stretched and rubbed the back of her neck. "I wonder if that guy ever made it up to Aizu."

Okon looked up from her teacup. "Sanosukesan? I'm sure he has. It's been two weeks."

"This is the same guy who came to Kyoto because it was on the way from Tokyo," she reminded her friend dryly.

"We lent him Lu No. 27, remember? He was supposed to send her when he arrived," Okina added.

"If he hasn't killed her from neglect." Misao made a face.

"Now, now, Misao, Sanosukesan has a greater respect for living creatures than that. He may not care too much about people but he wouldn't hurt a bird. Not that tori-atama, anyway," the old man grinned.

"Jiya!" Misao protested, laughing.

"I think it's romantic," Okon said, pouring herself another cup of tea. "Wandering the world, fleeing from the law for mysterious reasons… Returning to Japan four years later to find your lost love, without even knowing how much has changed, or if she might have found someone else while you were gone…" She trailed off into dewy-eyed fantasies.

"Come on, Okon, you're too old for such silliness," Omasu chided gently.

"Who's too old?" Okon challenged.

"Nothing, nothing, never mind," Omasu laughed, raising her hands placatingly.

"Don't tease her," Okina reminded Omasu with a smirk. "She never did quite get over how Hikodono handled her attentions."

"Old man, if you don't knock it off…" Okon's mouth was smiling, but her eyelid was twitching and her fists were trembling outright.

"This just came," Aoshi said, walking through the gate with a letter in his hand. "It's from Takanisensei."

"Let me see?" Misao asked, holding out her hand. Shrugging, Aoshi handed it over. "What pretty stationery!" She opened it carefully and read slowly. "_Dear everyone,_

"_I understand that Sagara Sanosuke came through Kyoto not long ago. I will never understand where that idiot got the idea that it was on the way to Aizu! But I am writing because…"_

"Misao? What's wrong?" Okina looked at his young charge with concern as she stammered to a stop.

"I… Here, Aoshisama. You read it." Misao bit her lip.

"_But I am writing because I must inform you that Sagara Sanosuke is no more." _Here Aoshi's own eyes widened in surprise and he skimmed quickly ahead. "Aa." he said softly. "How typical of her."

Misao was crying openly, and the others stared in shock and dismay.

"Aoshi, please finish reading the letter," Okina said resignedly. He pulled the crying onmitsu into his arms, holding the girl he considered a granddaughter as though he could shield her from sadness.

Aoshi shook his head. "_Upon his arrival here in Aizu, he proceeded to make his usual mess of things. There were several misunderstandings, the last of which led to my acceptance of his proposal of marriage. By the time you read this, he will have taken my family's name and be living with me as my husband. So you can imagine that life in Aizu is going to be a lot more interesting from now on, especially since he will be acting as my assistant for a time as well. If you are ever in this area, for your own safety please do not get hurt."_

Shiro entered the room just then, with Kuro behind him. "We've got a message," he said, holding up the finger on which Lu No. 27 perched.

"That's from Sanosukesan!" Omasu smiled. "What does it say?"

Shiro handed the note, still folded, to Okina. "You should read it."

"Do you know what it says?" Misao asked him.

The young man shook his head as the older one unfolded the tiny missive.

"That idiot!" Okina sighed. "All he wrote is, "Sorry. Forgot to send her back."

"I am going to kill them BOTH! I am going to Aizu RIGHT NOW and I am going to KILL THEM BOTH!" Misao pushed away from Okina and flung off her kimono to reveal her onmitsu outfit.

"Misao!" Okina dove for the furiously marching and ranting girl but she was too quick and dodged. He landed on his face and grumbled. Aoshi merely put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped, trembling with emotion.

"Do you think Himura would be happy if you killed them?" he asked calmly.

That reached her as the protestations of the others hadn't. "I… No… No, he wouldn't," she admitted.

"Then why don't we wait and go after Obon for a visit? If you still want to express your displeasure with them then, that is," Aoshi continued.

"What a wonderful idea!" Okina crowed. "Road trip!" He began scurrying around to pack and prepare.

Omasu shook her head. "I swear, one of these days, old man…"

3. _A small inn on the island of Kyuushuu_

The tall man, close to his middle years, laid the last of his belongings in his new Western luggage and closed the lid. He looked around the small room he'd been renting for the last several months and sighed. It had not been an easy time, but neither had it been completely unpleasant.

Nonetheless, it was time to go home. He doubted any of his family remained, but his childhood home, far to the north, would be enough.

Checking under the bed one final time, he picked up the suitcase and left the room without looking back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Aftermath**

_Part VIII: The Third Day_

Megumi had successfully managed to keep Sanosuke at the clinic for a second night. There had been a legitimate late night emergency, and she had convinced him to stay at the clinic to await her return. He had grown tired of waiting and gone to meet her, walking her back, at which point she suggested he may as well stay the rest of the night since dawn was only a few short hours off. He had agreed; she had claimed to be too tired to find another futon and so he had spent the night much as he had the first, curled up behind her, above the blankets.

She was a little disturbed at how quickly she was coming to enjoy his closeness. However, she had decided that if he was going to stay, he definitely needed to shave the shaggy mess off of his face.

The morning of the third day she had said something about it, and had been surprised when he acquiesced without argument. She had spent a good part of the day trying to think of some reason for him to stay. Every pretext she had considered seemed weak and transparent after reconsideration, and she had grown desperate. Her favorite was still the old twisted ankle ploy, but she knew he would see through that, and she wasn't prepared to simply tell him the truth.

She hated the games even as she enjoyed the hoops she was devising for both of them. It troubled her endlessly that she couldn't simply tell him to stay with her, but the very thought made her stomach clench and her throat constrict. ~Am I really doing the right thing? Can we really make this work if I have to employ subterfuge to trick myself into accepting his proposal? To an outsider, it must look like I'm trapping him unfairly. The problem is, the one who needs to be trapped into this is the wild, frightened Fox…~

She watched him with another young patient as she mixed a particular patient's medicine that afternoon. He really was wonderful with children. She wondered when that had changed; she remembered how he'd generally panicked at the idea of handling any little ones just four years before. He'd enjoyed their antics from afar but never deigned to join in. The young man he tended now was bravely trying not to cry. All of eleven years old, he had fallen from a tree and broken his arm. Sanosuke's strength came in quite handy for setting simple fractures and he'd done wonderfully with the boy, not only setting and wrapping the break but letting the child know that it was okay to cry sometimes.

"Only stupid idiots hold everything in and pretend they don't feel pain, ne, Takanisensei?"

She hadn't realized he'd known she was watching, but she managed to keep her cool (much to her secret relief) and, in the tone he knew well, replied, "Indeed. Only the very stupidest of idiots." But the tiny, smirking smile was not altogether wicked, and though the boy looked a little confused by the exchange, Sano's smile matched hers.

It was only then that she realized he could as easily have been speaking of her as himself. She ducked her head, hiding behind the long curtain of her hair, hoping he could not see her flush. ~Am I angry with him? Or with myself?~

The rest of the day passed in much the same mellow manner. Sanosuke's third day straight at the clinic was drawing to a close.

"I really should get back. I'm sure Karitakusan is concerned that I haven't been there two nights in a row." He was strangely reluctant to leave, although he found it hard to say exactly why that was. He knew what staying another night would mean, in the eyes of the public; he did not want to tarnish her reputation that way. Circumstances had thrown them together for two consecutive nights.

~But it's been two nights. Surely it's worse for her reputation if I stay any longer! I'm going to the Karitaku place tonight, no matter what.~

"I need to take an inventory of the medicine we still have in stock so I know what I need to buy or harvest," she said casually. "I could use your help. It may be a late night."

He shook his head. "Sorry, Fox. No can do. I'm beat," he said, stretching and yawning. "Can't it wait 'til tomorrow?"

"It can't be done while there are patients here who need attention. With both of us here, the work will go much faster, and it must be done twice a month. Remember, I have to report my expenses to the government," she said, making a face. "That includes how much I spend on medicines and supplies for the clinic as well as my own necessities."

He hadn't known that. "You want me to help you do stuff for that damned government?" he inquired, suddenly feeling defensive for no reason he understood.

~Here we go. It's been a whole day since we've had an argument. I guess we're overdue.~ The thought did not help her mood, and Megumi snapped, "That damned government is the only reason I can run this clinic and help these people who need it so badly! You know I don't love them any more than you do but I can't run a medical facility on hatred!"

"You sure seemed to be doin' a good job of it that way!" Sano retorted sharply.

"What!"

"You heard me. You don't love this place or these people. You don't love any damned thing but yourself!"

"You…!" In two steps she was across the room. He caught her hand half an inch from his (now clean-shaven) face, and they glared at each other for a long moment. "How DARE you!" she hissed.

"Oh, because this is all my fault!" he snarled back. His fingers were tight around her wrist. "You're the one who's been livin' here for four years without lettin' anyone into your life! You're the one who won't give anyone on the street the time of day! These people don't understand why you won't even look at them outside this building! Half of them are convinced you're a stuck-up bitch, and the other half thinks you're crazy! You're so wrapped up in your fucking clinic that you've forgotten about bein' a person!"

Megumi had gone white. "You're hurting me!" She wrenched her hand away from him, the marks of his fingers already beginning to bruise. "And you don't know a single thing about what it's been like these last four years!"

"Yeah, because it ain't like I been on my own, far away from everyone I knew and trusted or anything!" ~Why can I not decide if I want to throttle her or hold her tight? Either way I'd never let her go. But she won't want me around much longer. I can't believe it's been a whole day since we fought. Maybe that's why it seems so much worse right now.~

"You at least could protect yourself!" she choked out. Tears welled up in her eyes, unbidden. She suddenly refused to cry in front of him; though tears were universally acknowledged as a woman's weapon, she perversely did not want to use them at the moment. In spite of her determination, they spilled from her eyes and she turned away from him, hugging herself tightly.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Don't, don't cry, I'm sorry –" he reached for her.

It was the wrong move. The second his hand brushed her rigid, trembling shoulder, she let out a swift, animal sound of pure terror, and whirled to face him, huddling in on herself.

~_SHIT_. This is ridiculous. The past two nights she's been fine. But she's strung so tight right now that she'll break if I even try to touch her again. How am I supposed to fix this? Why can't we go one day without fighting? This whole thing was a stupid idea…~

He looked at her for a long time, anger and compassion mixed in with the frustration in his eyes and the sadness around his mouth. As it had before, the animal instinct slowly receded and as reason returned, she tentatively reached out to him.

"No," he said abruptly, stepping back. "I can't do this, Megumi. There's a line to cross, but I can't avoid it if I don't know where it is. You want me close to you at night but I can't touch you when we're awake? And you won't let me touch you, but you make me sleep next to you. Do you know what that does? Do you know what it's like to have only part of what you want? Come to think of it, what DO you want? What do you want from me, Megumi? I can't do this any more." He wanted to yell, but he found he lacked the energy. To his own ears, he sounded almost rational through the despair. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling the long strands in frustration.

Once again, her reaction was not what he had expected. Her hand fell, and the last vestiges of every emotion save one left her face.

Regret.

"Sanosuke. I can't help what happened to me, or how much I let it damage me. That damage has been done, and I cannot simply cut the damaged part out like a tumor. It was foolish and cruel of me to depend on you like this. I had hoped… The moment you appeared on that road, I was so glad to see you. You were more than just a familiar face, an old friend in a place that is still strange to me. You said that the people love me, but you also said that half of them think me crazy and the other half think I'm 'a stuck-up bitch'. That hurt because I know it's true. It's the part where you said they care about my happiness I find hard to believe."

He shook his head. "You can't let one moment shape your entire life. You can't build your entire world around one person. It's the best way I know of to destroy yourself. I did it for a while… I lived for the Seikhoutai. I lived for Sagara-taichou. Then they were all killed, all but me and Katsu. And I had nothing to live for but dyin'."

"I made a promise to someone who meant the world to me. That promise is all I have."

"Megumi, that isn't true. You'd have friends here, if you wanted. You probably coulda been married to some rich guy up here in no time flat if you'd wanted, had him wrapped around your finger in a heartbeat." His smile was lopsided and wistful.

"But Sano… I've never wanted any man from Aizu. In my life, there was only…"

Her words trailed off into silence, and she begged him silently to hear her heart saying his name.

"Only Kenshin." He bowed his head. "I understand. He's a hell of a guy."

She took a steadying breath. "There was, for a time, and I admit that when I left, it was in no small part because I couldn't watch him be happy with her and not take away from that happiness. Kensan is too kind; when someone he cares about is hurting, it troubles him, and my sadness would have gotten in the way of his happiness with Kaoruchan. But Kensan was not the only man I have ever cared for, and…" Again she found herself unable to finish the sentence.

"You always acted like he was the only one for you."

Exasperation was making it easier for her to speak. "Baka. If you're playing at being a fool, you're doing a good job of it."

"I ain't the one playin' games," he said, a bit of the growl coming back into his voice.

"Stay with me tonight."

"No. No more games. Bad enough I've stayed the past two nights. I was worried about your reputation but if I stay one more night, the gossip-crazy old biddies are gonna be all over it. Everyone is gonna believe that we're-" His eyes widened as he realized the implications. ~It's not the way things are done here anymore, usually, but it's not totally unheard of... But is that what she's saying?~

Watching him, watching his eyes as the understanding dawned on him, she nodded.

"Is that what you want?" His tone was carefully neutral.

She nodded.

Half of him wanted to shout his joy to the world, and the other half wanted to throttle her.

He took a deep breath. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing all day."

"And?"

"Please sit." She indicated one of the stools and took another for herself. "Sano, you need to understand that nearly everything I've done for the past fourteen years has been motivated by fear. It's the only thing that kept me going sometimes, although it did more harm than good."

"So you're marrying me out of fear?" His scorn was evident.

She shook her head. "Not because I'm afraid of being alone, either, before you go thinking that. The only fear behind this is fear of losing you. But I seem to be doing that anyway." Her hands were folded in her lap, her eyes downcast.

"If I stay tonight, if you're serious about this, then you're gonna have to meet me halfway."

She looked at him tentatively.

His grin was sudden and smug. "I get to stay under the blankets. It ain't THAT warm out yet."

She seemed to go limp for a moment. "Baka." Shaking her head, she smiled. "You're such a little boy sometimes, so easy to please."

His smile was a little crooked. "You may think differently in the morning."

She leveled a look that said plenty. "If you think you're sharing my futon tonight, I think you're bathing first."

"You do drive a hard bargain, Fox," he grinned.

"It's how I keep you coming back for more," she said archly, rising.

"Really? I thought that was your gentle words and tender manner," Sano said half an instant before a towel impacted with his face.

"Clean the bath out before and after. I'll want one when you're done."

"Sure."

She watched him leave the room and shook her head. ~This is so needlessly complicated. Why do I have to make everything so much harder on everyone around me?~ Sighing, she pushed her hair away from her face and went back to preparing the clinic for the following morning. She was already exhausted; something told her that she would not be inclined to wake up quite as early as usual the following morning.

He did have a very nice way of walking, she observed. ~If only I could get over these stupid fears!~ Her frustration at her own weaknesses drove her to double- and triple-check everything more critically than usual. She could find no fault, nothing out of place, and for some reason that made her more irritable. It seemed an eternity before Sanosuke emerged from the bath, one towel wrapped around his waist, another draped casually over one shoulder.

A familiar pang coursed through her as she noted the way the water glistened in droplets clinging to his golden skin, the way his hair was already springing back into its familiar spikiness despite its wet length, the shape of his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his well-defined musculature… But all too quickly the feeling was replaced with shame and trepidation. She turned away, unable to look at him further, though the image of him had burned into her mind.

"Bath's yours," he said, apparently not noticing her discomfiture. She knew he had no intention of doing anything that would make her uncomfortable. Somehow, that made her discomfort worse. It wasn't as if he could control how she reacted to his appearance!

~But he could at least cover up decently,~ she fumed, ignoring her own appreciation of his indecency.

Those thoughts accompanied her into the bath – which, she realized, he had indeed refilled for her and stoked up to just a shade hotter than she normally liked it. That meant it would be as hot as she usually liked it a little longer, and she could linger in the relaxing heat, letting her tensions dissolve. Rarely did she allow herself a chance to really indulge in a proper bath until her skin wrinkled from the water, but she decided to make an exception. First of all, she deserved it. Secondly, she intended to take her time before reappearing so Sanosuke wouldn't see her so ugly.

She rather liked the way the steam made her hair soft and slightly curled, especially at the nape of her neck. She twisted the dark masses into a deceptively simple arrangement at the top of her head, skewering it in place, then sank in as far as her eyebrows for a long moment.

Megumi lost track of time and when she finally emerged from the bath, her hair just so, wrapped in a clean yukata she'd scented faintly with mint, Sanosuke was sprawled out on the floor next to her futon, snoring softly. She nudged him with her toe. He didn't respond, so she nudged him again. He still didn't react.

Sighing, she shook her hair down and crawled under the blanket. ~I suppose I'm going to have to buy a larger futon for us to share,~ she realized. It was her last conscious thought before drifting to sleep.

}-,-`-,-

There was a warm presence at her back. A strong arm around her waist. She wriggled a little closer; the morning was cold. It felt so right; it took her a moment to realize that she was not in her bed alone. Another moment passed before she realized that this was the third morning that she'd woken up next to Sanosuke.

~We're married now,~ the thought filtered through, and she started to sit bolt upright, then stopped herself. The arm tightened around her waist and his growly voice murmured something in protest.

It was hard to relax back into his embrace. ~Married. You idiot woman, you just got yourself married! You're dumber than he is! Jumping into marriage with the first man who you're pretty sure isn't going to deliberately hurt you anytime soon, in spite of the fact that… that… He feels so warm… And strong… and I have never felt safer than I do when he's here. And he has learned a lot in the past four years. Not just about medicine. But he's not going to wait forever for – for that! And no husband should. But... Oh sure, it's easy to be clinical about it, especially when I'm working, or when I'd tease that silly country girl, but to face it myself... It isn't that I don't want to, but how can I not disgust him when I disgust myself?~

There were some things she did not take into account, however. It had been more than three years since the assault had taken place, and the memories of it no longer seared her skin. She was easily startled, but with the right approach, her fears would be conquered by the right man. And in her own confused way, she had to admit to herself that she did love Sagara Sanosuke. Certainly she trusted him, even if it was against her better judgment at times, but then he had never done anything to prove himself untrustworthy.

If one ignored his little run-ins with the law that had ended with him fleeing Japan, a wanted man, four years earlier.

But that was a legal matter, and as she had pointed out to him, she was no great fan of the new Meiji government either. Of course, they had made her clinic possible, but they'd also taken away her home, her family, and her childhood.

And his.

She sighed, so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't registered the way his arm had curled her a little closer against him, or the way his breath no longer came regularly at the back of her neck but was a bit more ragged and to one side. She didn't even notice the response her body was having to his own reactions to their closeness at first. It was only after his lips had nuzzled lightly at her neck for a moment that the knowledge pierced her consciousness.

~He's kissing my throat!~ But though she was startled to realize it, she was not afraid. It actually felt quite nice. Enough to make her dizzy and breathless quite quickly, in fact.

"Good morning, Takani Megumi," Sanosuke breathed in her ear between kisses.

Now it was her turn to murmur incoherently. He lifted his body slightly to lean over her, and she twisted back to look up at him. He proceeded to waken her slowly and deliberately, taking his time about it. By the time she was fully aware, she was no longer afraid.

And soon enough, she was telling him exactly what she wanted.


	10. Chapter 10

**Aftermath**

_Part IX: _

"Good morning," she all but purred as her breathing returned to normal. 

He chuckled, a soft low growl in his throat. "Mornin' to you too."

Megumi shifted around to free one arm and traced little patterns on his skin. "You totally planned that," she said in a tone that was not really accusatory.

"Not really," he denied, not very forcefully. "You certainly didn't protest," he added softly, almost hesitantly.

He felt her tense, felt the sudden indecision. She started to pull away, shame clear on her face before she hid it from him.

"No. Megumi, stop," he said, in the same soft tone. "Koishii… My wife, my beloved," he whispered. "Please don't turn from me. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Believe me," and the slight grin entered his voice as well as flashed across his features. "You have NOTHING to be ashamed of. You're magnificent. In every possible way."

She was less tense, but still she trembled. "How can you not be repulsed by me?"

"Repulsed? Are you nuts?"

His honest, forthright reaction was the only thing that could have reached her. ~Still the same Sanosuke,~ she realized as she relaxed a little more. "I'm damaged goods."

"_Che_," he cursed. "If you're damaged goods, what does that make me? I'm so broken even you couldn't finish patchin' me up."

That brought a half smile to her face.

"Tell you what. I won't go makin' any sudden moves, or sneak up behind ya, and you'll drop this oh-I'm-so-disgusting crap," he said, tracing a pattern on her skin in turn.

"That might work," she agreed cautiously. She wanted to believe him. Sano had never been the sort to hide his feelings or his thoughts very well. His was an almost painfully honest nature; she could never think of a time he'd actually lied about anything.

~Unlike some people you could name, ne, Megumi?~ she sniped inwardly.

"You're the boss. You call the shots. As long as I'm with you, neither one of us has to be alone," he murmured.

She lay still for a long moment. "I can't decide if that's the most ridiculously profound thing I've ever heard in my life, or simply the most ridiculous."

"I vote for the former," the tall man grinned.

"Of course you do," Megumi sighed. She sat up. "The clinic isn't going to open itself, you know. Why don't you go back now to get your things while I prepare for the day? You really need clean clothes already. White shows wear quickly," she pointed out.

"Sure," he said, slightly cautious. He had a feeling that she had something up her sleeve.

He dressed quickly – she was right, he noticed, although he hesitated to admit it aloud. ~Old habits do indeed die hard, especially when you're as stubborn as I am,~ he grinned at himself. The new white kimono and hakama were showing three days' dirt rather clearly. Then again, working in a clinic was hardly the neatest job available.

Running a hand through his long hair, he decided to detour on the way to the Karitaku residence to find a job that would pay enough to allow him to contribute significantly to their household. Megumi's work ethic, despite her mercenary leanings, simply was not allowing her to live the kind of life he wanted for her. And, incidentally, for himself. He certainly didn't blame her, but he was determined to show her how serious he was. He was going to be the man she deserved.

He knew he was not suited for teaching. Although children no longer intimidated him as they once had, he had never been much for schooling before and that had not changed. Manual labor seemed the most likely option for him. Perhaps something in construction, he thought as he passed the site of a building in progress. Heavy lifting was no problem, and it was the sort of thing that produced a definite, tangible result.

It was, he mused, constructive work.

Oddly, the pun was what sealed it for him. He approached the construction site. He hailed the first man he saw.

"Excuse me. Who would I see about a job here?"

"A job? Wait, aren't you Takanisensei's new assistant?" The man, pushing towards his middle years, studied the younger one intently.

"Well, I started out that way, but… See, the thing is, we're married, and I wanna work somewhere I can bring home somethin' to supplement her income. I know a lot of people can't pay much, and she doesn't turn anyone in need away." He spoke softly, a little embarrassed at the admission.

"That proud woman…!" The man shook his head as though in disbelief.

Sano leaped to her defense. "Oiy! First off, that's my wife you're talkin' about! And second –"

The man waved his hand. "Oh, give it up! She's never said a word to anyone. She's a wonderful doctor but she's very hard to approach. And now, suddenly, she's married?"

"Very suddenly," Sano admitted. "As of today, really." He blushed.

The man chortled. "Oh hoh! I see how it is, then! Newlyweds… As it happens, I do need a few strong backs. Can you start tomorrow? I don't doubt you'll want to take today to spend with your wife," he grinned in a suggestive but not crude manner.

Sano's eyes widened in surprise. That had been astonishingly easy. "Tomorrow? S-sure!" Gratitude spread wide across his face. "Wait, isn't your boss gonna have somethin' to say about it?"

The man grinned. "I am the boss."

"That's great! Thank you so much!" Sano seized the man's hand, shook it vigorously, and started to run off in the direction of the Karitaku residence.

He skidded to a stop, turned around, and sauntered back, a little red in the face. "Ano… I'm Sa- Sanosuke. Takani Sanosuke," he said, sounding the name out with bemusement. ~I'm Takani Sanosuke!~

"It'll take time to get used to. My youngest brother moved in with his wife's family three years ago – and he still hasn't gotten used to it! I am Site Foreman Yamagawa Eisuke."

"Shokuchou," Sano bowed, addressing the man only by his title.

"Go home and tell your wife that you'll be making an honest living instead of mooching off of her, and I'll see you tomorrow," the foreman smiled. "But be warned, I'm not a gentle boss."

"That's okay," Sanosuke smirked. "I can handle a little hard labor."

"I'll bet you can," came the reply, but Sano was already off, making for his original destination. That had been frighteningly easy! But then, Aizu was still rebuilding after the Boshin wars and would be for a long time. Construction was probably one of the easiest fields in which to find work.

His long legs did not want to simply walk. His pace was more of a jog and he couldn't help the grin that insisted on spreading over his face. For once, he wasn't going to dwell on how easy things were going. Nothing would go wrong – he would not permit it. And after all, it hadn't been THAT easy. ~Oh, sure, the job… But getting that vixen to concede wasn't as easy as all that. It feels like we're both fighting her every step of the way. I know we can make this work. I have to believe in us. I just wish I could take her pain away and make it easier… for both of us.~ The smile faded, but not for long. ~Takani Sanosuke. It does sound goofy.

~And that's just the way I like it.~

So it was with a light heart that he arrived at the Karitaku home. He slowed his pace, not wanting to disturb the couple, but the wife was in the kitchen and heard his arrival.

"Aah, Sanosuke-kun! Welcome back," she said with a wry twist to her smile. "We were wondering if you'd gotten lost on the way back one night."

"I ain't THAT bad with directions," the young man protested awkwardly.

At that, the woman laughed. "Maa, maa, it's all right. Takanisensei has doubtless been working you like a dog. That one's a real cool one."

A protest lodged itself in Sano's throat as he thought about just how warm she actually was, but the flush on his cheeks gave him away.

"So working for her constantly over the last few days still hasn't swayed you from her, eh?" Karitaku Chiyoko shook her head.

"Actually," he said, the grin emerging once more, "I've come to get my stuff. I'm moving into the clinic. Moved, really. Three days ago," he added, trying to lessen the significance of the words.

After her discussion the day before with the doctor, the old woman was more than willing to play along. "Well, if you insist… It's our loss, and your stupidity," she said offhandedly. "You know where your things are," she gestured in the direction of the room in which he'd stayed.

Once he was out of the room, however, her own smile widened. She had slipped the red paper package in among the others just a few minutes earlier, and she wondered how long it would take him to notice it.

"Excuse me, Karitakusan? I don't think this is mine," he said, coming in with the package in his hands, unopened.

The old woman folded her arms. "If it wasn't yours, it wouldn't have been in with your belongings. Are you sure?"

At that he faltered. "Uhh, not really?"

"Why don't you open it and see?"

He did, slowly, careful not to tear the delicate paper. A flash of lavender met his gaze and he glanced up in surprise.

"How did you – where did this –"

"So it does look familiar? Go put it on. That white one needs to be washed already."

Bemused, he wandered back into the room and changed slowly. ~That vixen! She must have bought it that first day, and brought it here when she mailed her letters… He fingered the soft fabric and hoped he wouldn't look too silly in the color. He swapped the white hakama for black, knowing it would present a more dramatic appearance. He still couldn't get the hang of the sleeves after so many years of not wearing kimono. He managed, however, and when he was dressed he gathered the rest of his belongings and returned to the main room where Karitakusan still waited.

"Looks good on you," she said with a smirk.

"She told you?"

Seeing no point in further dissemination, she nodded.

Sanosuke huffed.

The old woman shook her head in amusement. "So you're annoyed that she spoiled your big news? It's okay. You can surprise me with the details on just how you've managed to get her to marry you."

"Nothing is sacred, is it." But he wasn't truly annoyed. His heart was too light.

"Go on, your wife is waiting for you," the older woman laughed, more interested in seeing her new young friend happy than in hearing the details.

He bowed deeply, thanking her. "I have the week's rent, too." He pulled out the envelope in which he'd put the rent money.

"No. You paid for the week when you came, remember? Besides, you're going to need that. You have a wife to support now."

"Well, I just got another job in construction."

"Well! This is quite a week for you, young man!" The old woman smiled.

"No kiddin'," he said.

"Go, then. It's not getting any earlier, and you should be spending the day with your wife."

He bowed and thanked her again, and with his bag over his shoulder set off on the short return trip to the clinic.

His step was light and people smiled to see him striding down the street; by now he was no longer the frightening figure of three days earlier. He was, however, still a romantic one in the eyes of the young women of Aizu. He almost hated to break their hearts… Almost. He had rather enjoyed his brief stint as the tall, dark, and mysterious stranger who had appeared on the doctor's doorstep from out of nowhere. Ultimately, however, he definitely preferred things the way they were turning out.

~Takani Sanosuke. Still sounds better than Higashidani Sanosuke. And, if I had to admit it… I like it even more than Sagara Sanosuke.~

It was that thought which was foremost on his mind when he returned to the clinic.

But the clinic was dark and the door closed. He tried the door to find it locked. Concerned, he strode around to the back and saw a note tacked to the door.

_We have the doctor. Do not come looking for us. We will contact you._

It was unsigned.

"Shit!" The remnants of his good mood evaporated immediately. There had to be some clue as to who had taken her!

He did not think to try the back door. If he had, he would have found it unlocked.

There were no signs of a struggle.

He imagined the worst had happened, and he hadn't the slightest idea where to begin looking.

Long strides took him back to the front of the clinic, where he spotted the familiar figure of the local constable. "Satomura!"

"Saga- Takanisan?" Evidently, word of his marriage had begun to spread; Sano filed the information away for later consideration. "What's wrong?"

"Megumi's gone. There's a note on the door. Someone took her."

"Takanisensei? But I just saw her fifteen minutes ago with Miyokosan and Ogawa Keikosan and several other women." His concern softened with dry humor for a moment. "Admittedly, she looked rather irritated, but she seemed just fine."

"Then explain this!" Sano dragged the confused constable to the side door with the note.

Upon reading it, Satomura did the last thing Sanosuke expected: he threw back his head and laughed.

On the verge of beating the cop within an inch of his life, the newlywed demanded an explanation.

"I'm sorry, Takanisan," he said, still chuckling. "This is Ogawa Keikosan's handwriting. She thinks she's funny, sometimes… I suspect the women have 'abducted' your wife for truly nefarious purposes: they are… Well, actually, I don't quite know what they're doing." He scratched the back of his neck. "It probably has to do with her newlywed status, and whatever it is that women do. Personally, I think we're both better off not knowing.

"I'll tell you what, Takanisan. I'm still working, but I'll get a few of the guys together and we'll take you to lunch if she's not back by then. Say in an hour?" He reached out and opened the door. "We'll meet you here."

Sano glared at the door.

"Ahh, we'll stop by in an hour and you can let us know then," Satomura said, deciding that this was one of those times when discretion was indeed the better part of valor. Quietly, he stepped away and resumed his beat.

Finding himself with a lot of anger and nobody at whom to safely direct it, Sano clung to reason by his fingernails. His eye fell on the woodpile and he decided to add to its bulk; wielding an axe and practically annihilating a few dozen trees had a certain appeal.

Half an hour later, that was how Megumi found him upon her return. Stripped to the waist, long hair gleaming in the sun, his tanned physique glistening with sweat and his jaw still taut though he no longer trembled with rage. He looked up as he heard her enter the yard.

"Megumi!" Relief and anger blended in his voice as he spoke her name. Letting the axe fall into the stump, he approached her uncertainly. He was torn between the desire to pull her into his arms and the need to shake sense into her.

"I cannot believe those women," she said, although she didn't seem entirely displeased. "They demanded I close my clinic and come with them out of the blue." She looked her new husband up and down. "You could have opened the clinic." She lay down the bulky bundle she was carrying as she spoke.

Though her tone was not critical, he took it badly.

"You think I was cutting wood for fun? Damn it, Megumi, why didn't you leave a note? I came back and the place was dark and you were nowhere to be found!"

"Ogawasan said she was leaving a note," Megumi said, confused. "She wrote it and tacked it to the door as we left."

"THIS is her damned note!" His dander up once more, Sano all but shoved the letter into Megumi's face. She read the three short sentences quickly then crumpled the page.

"That…" She cast around for something suitable to call the woman. Failing to find anything both appropriate and not terribly improper, she sighed. "You know, Sano, I suppose I ought to give her credit. She's very devious."

"No more so than a certain Kitsune I know," he muttered crossly.

"This time, I've been outfoxed," she admitted, drawing a startled look. The admission in combination with the pun threw him off.

"I had no idea what she wrote. I think she's a little annoyed, actually," the doctor said thoughtfully, seeming amused by the notion.

Sano's own curiosity was piqued. "Oh?"

Megumi nodded. "You married me rather than choosing to give her a chance."

"Really?" It wasn't exactly a question.

She nodded. "Really. Ogawa Keikosan is a little bit husband-hungry. She's a good enough woman, I suppose. She's not entirely unattractive, and if she is rather a gossip, at least she's lively and entertaining." Megumi shrugged. "Still, if I were a man, I wouldn't marry her."

"I'm glad."

"For?"

"Couple things. First, that you wouldn't marry her. And second, that you're not a man."

"And that's second?" Megumi asked archly.

"Nah. I guess it could be first."

"You guess." Megumi tossed her hair back over her shoulder.

"You know, I might be persuaded," he said in a soft growl, a sultry smile on his lips.

"Sanosuke! It's the middle of the day!"

"Exactly," he purred, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Come on, Kitsune, you can give me what I want."

"Sano!" She was genuinely scandalized.

"Whassamatter? Not up to makin' lunch for your man?"

She went rigid, a little embarrassed and a lot annoyed. "Sanosuke no baka!"

He ducked but was not quite fast enough.

She nailed him in the bruise she'd given him when he'd walked in on her changing.

This time, he was not fortunate enough to lose consciousness.

"I wasn't in the mood for a knuckle sandwich but I guess that'll do," he said mournfully – or at least he tried – from halfway across the yard where he'd landed.

"You poor thing," she cooed. "Let me kiss it and make it better."

Sanosuke scuttled backwards, fear in his eyes. "No, no, that's fine, just a little ice," he begged as she advanced.

"Takanisan?" They heard Satomura's voice and Sano did not bother hiding his relief.

Megumi looked startled by the police officer's appearance at the clinic. "Satomurasan! Is everything all right?"

"Forgive me, Takanisensei! I didn't realize you were back… I ran into your husband earlier while you were out. He seemed upset so a few of us were going to treat him to lunch. But since you're here, we'll leave you two alone."

"Oh, no, please! Be my guest! If you want to cater to this bottomless sponge, I'm hardly going to object!"

"Ara?" Satomura seemed quite a bit taken aback by Megumi's annoyed dismissal of the man she'd only just married. He looked from one to the other.

Sano nodded. "Yeah, let's go before she changes her mind." He grinned at his rescuer. ~Never thought I'd make friends with a cop,~ he mused. ~But for saving my ass from her, I think I'd even make friends with THAT cop.~

Megumi turned her back on them, mostly so they would not see her smile – or her relief. There were moments where she wondered what she was thinking. What on earth was she doing, getting married to anyone – much less Sanosuke! What kind of proper wife could she possibly be, she worked long hours and often rose at odd ones to run off on some emergency or other? Spending the time she had with the women – socializing – had been very pleasant. She'd genuinely enjoyed herself with them, joining in their banter and listening to their gossip – as a learning tool, she told herself. Not that she actually believed such a line.

Mostly, however, they'd talked about married life… in exhaustive detail. The married ones had alternately raved or ranted about it and the unmarried ones had spoken of it as though it were the only goal worth achieving. They'd also extolled the virtues of her new husband, which she had finally dismissed with a curt, "Trust me, if you knew him as well as I know him, you'd also wonder what the hell I was thinking." They'd all stared at her in various states of confusion.

It had been young Hanako – her sisters had not come – who asked what they'd all wondered. "Then why did you marry him?"

Megumi had not answered for a long time. The silence had grown distinctly awkward when her attitude changed. From her pensive pose, she had risen abruptly and tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Who else would be stupid enough to marry a woman who puts everyone else before her husband or herself?"

Only a few of them had even understood any part of what she was saying.

The gathering had essentially broken up after that, and while she knew she would become friends with some of the women at last, she had wanted to go home and think. Sano's going out with "the guys" would serve her purpose well – and give him a chance to make other friends. ~After all, we're married now.~

It wasn't until he arrived at the restaurant that Sanosuke remembered he hadn't told her about his new job outside the clinic. ~Later,~ he promised himself. ~We'll have plenty of time to talk. After all, we're married now.~

But upon his return, he found that Megumi, wrapped in her thoughts and medical records, had fallen asleep at her desk.

He gazed at her tenderly as he carefully lifted her and placed her on the futon. ~We're going to need a new one,~ he realized. He looked around the sparsely furnished room and his eye fell on the unwieldy package Megumi had carried in with her from her outing. It looked like it might be the right size for a futon for two… He decided not to open it, however, without her.

"Takanisensei? Takanisensei!"

Sano answered the clinic door swiftly, before Megumi even stirred. Satomura had told him that pretty much everyone already knew of their marriage and so was leaving them alone, so Sanosuke was surprised to see two men from the construction site at which he was due to start work tomorrow supporting a third.

"Takanisan! Forgive the interruption, but it's an emergency…"

"I see that. What happened?"

"Midoriyama was carrying some heavy boxes and tripped." The men with him helped their injured comrade to sit and Sano saw the deep laceration that went down from the man's mid-thigh to below his knee.

"_Kuso_," he breathed. "That's gonna need stitches. I'm no good at that." He glanced over his shoulder towards their private quarters where she still slept.

"Wait here," he said after a tense moment that was not as long as it seemed.

He strode into the back room. This time she heard him and stirred. "_Anata_? What is it?"

Sleep was still in her voice; the way she had called him "anata" – darling – made him want to forget everything but being with her.

"_Koishii_." He let the word linger for a brief moment. Beloved. "I'm sorry, but there's an emergency. A man needs stitches. It's a long laceration, not too deep, but a bit jagged." He explained further as she rose and they headed for the clinic.

Tense minutes passed. "There's no risk of losing the limb, but you're going to need to take it easy for several days. I'd say a week of bed rest, and avoid any rapid or strenuous movements. I'll look at it in a week to see your progress."

The three men thanked the couple profusely and bowed deeply. "We'll see you tomorrow?" they confirmed with Sano as they left.

"Tomorrow?" Megumi looked to Sanosuke.

"Yeah. This morning, while I was out," he said, fingering the lavender sleeve that matched her own, "I kinda got a part time job in construction. I wanted… I didn't want to be a total leech off you anymore."

"A job?"

"Aa."

"But I thought you were…"

"I'll still help around here. I'll still do the setup and a couple days a week I'll stay as your assistant. But Kitsune, you can't live on what you've been earning. Two of us certainly can't. So I'm gonna make an honest living."

"Sano…"

"I don't want you to regret marryin' me. It ain't gonna be easy, I know. But damned if I'm gonna give you any reason to have so much as half a second thought."

"I don't think I gave it half a second's thought," she said in a tone he couldn't quite interpret.

"I didn't want to wake you," he finally said, changing the subject. "But Midoriyama's wound was beyond me."

She nodded. "You did the right thing. Somehow," she said, with a flip of hair, "You usually manage to do the right thing."

"Yeah," he said with a crooked grin as he reached for her, tugging her hand lightly until she came into his arms. "I know."

The look they shared was as full of exasperation and amusement as much as tenderness.

_[AN] There is absolutely no cultural significance to Megumi's "abduction". The women simply got fed up with her standoffishness and used her newly married status as an excuse to try to make friends. The only reason she refused to admit that to Sanosuke was her pride. [/AN]_


	11. Chapter 11

**Aftermath**

_Epilogue: One Year Later_

_[AN] Warning: WAFF moments ahead. [/AN]_

"Are you sure?"

"For the thousandth time, yes, I'm sure. And isn't it a little late to ask?"

"We could always go back to Aizu," he said uncertainly.

Megumi turned to look at her husband. "Takani Sanosuke, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were afraid of something."

"Course I ain't afraid!"

"You've only asked if I was sure I was able to travel every five minutes for the past month."

"I'm worried about you," he said frankly.

She rolled her eyes. "That's very sweet of you, but if you were going to worry that much, don't you think you ought to have done so sooner?" Megumi laughed at her husband's discomfiture.

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the familiar building. It still showed signs of having endured quite a lot, but the hard times were receding and the repairs of a more refreshing nature than simple patchwork.

"I can't believe it's been three years since I came for a visit," Megumi sighed.

"We just saw everyone last fall," Sano reminded her. "When they all came at once for a surprise visit."

Megumi rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a surprise. They sent us letters. I showed you the letters. You forgot."

"Whatever," Sano argued eloquently. Leaping from the carriage, he insisted on assisting Megumi despite her protests that it was not necessary.

They heard cries from the dojo as they approached the gate; Megumi could see over the fence and she waved as Kaoru and Yahiko emerged. He had grown a little more, and was now slightly taller than his sensei who looked much as she had on their visit to Aizu the previous fall.

"Tadaima," Sano said gruffly, grinning as he approached the gate.

"Okaeri nasai!" Kaoru greeted them warmly.

"What took ya so long? Did you let Sano navigate?" Yahiko teased Megumi.

"Oh my goodness you're HUGE!" Kaoru blurted, staring at her old friend in shock as Megumi entered the gate.

"Holy crap!" Yahiko yelped as he too gaped at her.

"Ahh, Sano! Megumidono! This one is glad you made it safely!" Kenshin emerged from the direction of the kitchen, a grouchy-looking Kenji in his arms. "Did you have a good trip?" He very carefully did not remark on Megumi's obvious condition.

"Kenshin! She's huge!" Kaoru was still staring at Megumi, who looked torn between amusement and a sincere desire to pound Kaoru into the ground.

"No, she's Megumi," he said mildly.

Sano burst into guffaws at that. "Damn, Kenshin, you never do change, do ya? But yeah. I'm gonna be a dad!"

"Probably of twins," Megumi added. "I'm only about seven months along."

"Wow," Yahiko said. "Sagara Sanosuke, father of twins. THAT is a scary thought."

"It is, isn't it," Kenshin agreed.

Kaoru hugged Megumi – carefully but enthusiastically – from the side. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"We thought you might be able to figure it out on your own," Megumi teased. "But I wanted to come visit before it got too uncomfortable to travel. We're only going to stay for a week or so."

"I'm surprised you were able to get away," Kaoru said as she took her son from her husband's arms, much to the relief of both. "Kenji, you remember your aunt Megumi and uncle Sanosuke, don't you?" At the little redhead's smile, she turned to her friends. "How can you resist a face like that? You can't stay such a short time!"

"If we wait much longer, it'll be too difficult to travel, and I could have the babies at any time. Then it will be too late; I won't travel with newborns. It's too dangerous for them."

"You could stay here," Kaoru cajoled.

"Nah, my Fox would rather be safe in her own den," Sano grinned.

"And the tori-atama would rather be head chicken in his own roost," Megumi added, "than even an exalted guest anywhere else. He knows I won't let him get away with leeching off of anyone here, and he feels that if he has to work for it, it may as well be his own."

"Commendable," Kenshin said with a gentle smile. "You really have grown, Sano."

"Nah, it's all muscle," the tall man grinned back.

"Certainly that's all he has in his head," Megumi said to Kaoru. The young mother tittered.

Yahiko shook his head. "Nah, you two haven't changed at all. Still bickering all the time, too, I'll bet."

"Constantly."

"He can't do anything right."

"She's too damn nitpicky."

"He's so lazy."

"She's too demanding."

"He's always whining."

"She's always griping."

"Why did we get married again?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Megumi said, shaking her head as she looked at him.

"Heh. You two think you're so funny, doncha," Yahiko smirked.

"Actually, I really don't know why I married him," Megumi countered.

"Me neither. Seemed like the thing to do at the time," Sano added.

"At least you agree on something," Yahiko interjected.

"We do not!" they exclaimed in unison, each feigning outrage. Kenshin was chuckling openly, and Kaoru's eyes sparkled with delight.

"Come inside," Kaoru invited them. "Yahiko, go help Sano with the luggage."

"NOW who's too demanding?" Yahiko grumbled to Sano as he passed the taller man.

"I heard that!" Kaoru barked.

"It's good to have everyone together again," Kenshin said as he led the way inside.

"It's good to be back," Megumi agreed. With Kenshin and Sano flanking her, she flashed back to the first time she had entered that doorway.

How different the circumstances were! And how much brighter everything was. The place was no longer the dried-up little dojo she remembered from that long-ago day. She said so, as revenge for Kaoru's remark about her size. It was no bad thing to be heavily pregnant with twins, especially Sano's children! Considering their heritage, they would hardly be frail children! But still, there was no need to call her "huge".

As she expected, Kaoru bristled. And then they were all laughing, the comforting, familiar laughter of family.

This had been what she had been seeking for so long. Family. Acceptance. Friendship. Love. Hope for the future.

She slipped her hand briefly into Sano's, squeezed. Yes, they had their squabbles, and their disagreements, but they had something much more important underneath it all, and that made even the worst moments less horrible.

"And as much as I'd love for us to stay longer," she added with a mysterious smile, "I don't feel right leaving my brother alone at the clinic for too long."

"Wait… Your brother? You found your brother?" Kaoru grabbed Megumi's hand in excitement.

"Megumidono, that's wonderful!"

Megumi nodded, beaming. "Toshihiro-niisan was on the island of Kyuushuu for several years. He just came back about three months ago." Her smile faltered. "My other brother, Hideaki, didn't survive the conflict, and my mother died a few years later." Sano's arm slipped around her shoulders and she leaned into him. "But Toshihiro is alive and well, and I don't know if I mentioned this to you, Sano, but he's actually interested in Ogawasan!"

"Ogawa Keiko?"

"Who'd have believed that my quiet, thoughtful brother would fall for the world's biggest gossip?"

"I don't know," Sano said airily. "Seems to me opposites do have a way of attracting. A doctor and a construction worker?"

"I still can't picture you as a construction worker," Yahiko mused.

"It looks like we've all come a long way in the last few years," Megumi said warmly.

"I'm starving," Sano said. "Got anything to eat?"

The women exchanged significant glances.

"But some things never change," Kaoru sighed.

"Sadly, no," Megumi agreed. Kenshin didn't bother to hide his amusement at Sanosuke's apparent disgruntlement. "Least of all this ahou."

"Fortunately," Kaoru said with a bright smile, "I just finished making lunch!"

"Maybe I'm not hungry after all," Sano said thoughtfully.

"Why, what's wrong, Sano?" Kaoru said a little too brightly.

"Nothin, Jouchan. Nothin' at all," he grinned back.

"Plain soba," Megumi announced definitively.

"Huh?" Kaoru looked at her blankly.

"I want plain soba," Megumi said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Kenshin winced. "Sano, did you know about this?" he muttered to his friend.

"About what?"

"When you married Megumidono, did you know that getting her with child would turn her into Saitou Hajime?"

The look on the ex-outlaw's face kept Kenshin laughing for many long minutes, though neither man would tell his wife why.

_[AN] Owari, as far as we're concerned. And to answer my initial question… I guess so. _

_And yeah, just a tiny little nod to the Saitou/Sano shippers out there... [/AN]_


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